The Kuroba Family Secret
by Himitsu Notebook
Summary: Every family has it's secrets, Doors left unopened. When Aiko Kuroba accidentally stumbles on the Kuroba families deepest darkest secret, she realizes there is a lot more to her parents deaths than she could've possibly imagined...
1. Prologue

A/N: The reason it's in Italics is because this is a flashback.

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* * *

Kaito's head collided with the floor hard as he was thrown backwards. He breathed heavily, blood gushing from the corner of his mouth. The gun barrel was pressed against his head. The last thing that had a chance to run through Kaito's head was his wife smiling at him...and his daughter. The gun fired. The bullet pierced him. He felt nothing. Slowly, the figure in black stood and returned the pistol to its holster and walked away from Kaito's corpse as if nothing had happened._

_It was almost mid-night. Aoko was on the brink of reporting a missing person. He had been home late sometimes but never this late. Where was he?_

"_Mum?" Aoko turned sharply. She was strangely jumpy that evening. A sleepy eyed girl clad in baby blue pajamas, one hand rubbing her sleep filled eyes, the other holding a teddy-bear stood swaying in the doorway. "Is Dad home yet?"_

"_He'll be home soon, sweetie. Go back to bed." Aoko sounded more like she was reassuring herself._

"_But I can't sleep unless Dad gives me a hug." The girl yawned. It didn't look like she hadn't been sleeping. Then the doorbell rang._

"_Oh, thank goodness!" Aoko whispered to herself. She dashed to the door, her 9-year old daughter following hastily behind her. Then her heart fell when she saw the red and blue flashing of police lights. A lump formed in her throat. It couldn't be..._

"_Honey, go upstairs..." Aoko commanded her daughter, her voice quivering._

"_But..."_

"_Please, go back to bed." Aoko was practically crying. Her daughter let out a huff and did as she was told. Aoko wiped the lingering tears away with her thumbs and went to answer the door. It was a police man._

"_Mrs. Kuroba?" _

_Aoko nodded._

"_I'm sorry to inform you that...Your husband has been killed. He was shot." Everything around Aoko was silent for a minute. She lost all comprehension of her surroundings, her world shattering like thin ice all around her. The tears began to flow uncontrollably, thick and fast. Aoko raised a hand to her mouth, shaking her head._

"_No...no...Please...no..."_

"_I'm sorry...But you have to join him..."_

"_W-What?" Before Aoko could say another word, she felt something pierce her chest, knocking all the air out of her. She gasped in a total state of shock, staggering backwards, her hands grazing the wall. When she looked down, all she saw was red. A crimson waterfall tumbling out of a gaping bullet wound in her chest and the police man drawing a silence pistol from his pocket which now contained a hole from when he had shot her._

"_No..." Aoko breathed before collapsing to the floor. The policeman smiled and signalled to an unseen man behind him._

"_She's been taken care of." He whispered to someone behind him. "Up there with her darling husband now." The unseen man chuckled._

"_Clean up this mess, I'll dispose of the body."_

"_Right, Aniki."_

_Slowly Aoko faded away. Into the arms of her husband._

"_I'm sorry...Aiko..."_


	2. Aiko Kuroba

"Ladies and Gentlemeeen!"

"Oh great..."

"Here she comes..."

The door was flung open and a thick pink smoke poured into the classroom, temporarily blinding all the students, leaving them in coughing fits. When it finally cleared, there she was, stood atop four desks which had been pushed together during the bout of pink smoke

"The one, The only, The magnificent...AIKO KUROBA!" Aiko flung her hands into the air, explosions of confetti and strings laced with flags of all the countries of the world raining down on the class. Everyone clapped and cheered as the girl climbed down from the desks and resumed her seat.

"Yes, Thank you Kuroba." The teacher didn't look even slightly amused. "Someone open the windows please." Two students quickly rushed to clear the classroom of the thick lingering brightly coloured smoke so the lesson could begin. As was to be expected from the daughter of Kaito Kuroba. She introduced herself like that every morning.

"Morning Aiko." A tall boy took his seat beside her. "You know, you should really stop that. You're going to give that girl with the glasses an asthma attack again."

"I don't feel like I can start my day if I haven't made my big entrance." Aiko chuckled as she removed all her books from her brown satchel.

Aiko Kuroba was, which she was sick of hearing, a clone of her father. Messy dark brown hair which passed her shoulders, wide blue mysterious eyes and a perfect poker face. Ask anyone in Aiko's class about her and they would instantly tell you: "Weird." The girl who introduced herself every morning by setting off a smoke bomb then raining confetti on her peers. It was not only his looks that she had inherited but his personality, right down to the very last detail. While Aiko was care-free and quirky with a dash of arrogance and athletic to the point that some people in her class had labelled her a space-alien due to her ability to climb walls like spider-man and sprint around the school field about 20 times without so much as even breaking a sweat, she had also inherited some of her mothers characteristics, such as her quick temper and impulsiveness. Aiko was named after her mother, Aoko, who's name meant "Blue Child". The problem with Aiko's name was it was mispelt very often. Rather than using the kanji for "Love" like one normally would, Aiko used the kanji for "Indigo." Blue child and Indigo child. She liked her name.

"Oh Aiko!" The tall boy next to her tapped her shoulder excitedly.

"Hmm?" Aiko turned.

"I brought this in for you to borrow!" He rummaged around in his desk before finally producing an old looking book. Aiko took it and raised an eyebrow.

"A Study in Scarlet?"

"Give it a try, please?"

"I'm worried I might turn into a mystery otaku like you if I do."

"It's a good book, setting aside the detective parts!"

"There's nothing but detective parts."

"Please, Just give it a try! If you don't like it then..." He knew what she was going to ask for by the uncontrollable grin on her face. "What food do you want?"

"Ice-cream!"

"Fine, Ice-cream..." Aiko smiled and slipped the book into her bag. The boy looked very pleased with himself. After trying all these years to try and get her to read one of his books he finally succeeded.

Conan Kudo. Aiko had known him all her life. They were inseparable. They could easily finish each others sentances like twins. Aiko liked Conan. He was different to all the other boys. There was something she found irresistible about his child-like innocence and caring nature. Although all that was blown away when it came to cases and Conan reverted to what Aiko liked to call "His default programming" where nothing could stand in the way of him and his deductions. Being the son of Shinichi Kudo instantly meant you were born with corpses at your feet. Indeed they followed Conan everywhere. While anyone else would've said that it was creepy, Aiko only found it made him even more interesting. Conan always told Aiko that his mother had named him after a very important person in her life but never told him who.

"...Conan..." Aiko hissed. He wasn't paying attention. "Conaaan..."

"What?" He turned.

"What's the answer to this one?" Aiko poked a question in her book.

"Do it yourself."

"KUROBA!" Aiko immediately jumped to attention. "Were you copying off Conan again?"

"Umm..." Aiko looked around nervously. "Distraction!" And with a loud bang and a burst of confetti, Aiko Kuroba was nowhere to be seen. Conan chuckled to himself.

"Again..."

The sun was already setting by the time Aiko was released from school. Tired and hungry, Aiko couldn't wait to get home. She was pleased to see Conan waiting for her at the school gates. He grinned at her wildly as they began their journey home.

"What...?" Aiko stopped. "Oh no...Default programming."

"You had to mop the gym right?"

"Well done, how'd you figure that one out?" Aiko smiled at him as the two childhood friends walked the streets of Beika City.

"Your knees and the edges of your socks show signs of dampness and sensei always makes students get down on their hands and knees with a brush to make things harder, not to mention you came from across the carpark, which is in the same direction as the gym because it is seperate from the school building, where as normally you'd come out the front door or just jump out of our classroom window." Conan chuckled. Aiko grinned. He never failed.

After a long walk and more exuberant chatting, Conan and Aiko eventually parted ways at his large mansion. Aiko saw Conan's mother, Ran Kudo, waving from an upstairs window and waved back before setting off to her own home.

"Oba-san, I'm home!" Aiko slid her shoes off at the door.

"Aah, Welcome home, Aiko." Her grandmother greeted her with a warm hug. "My goodness, you've grown since this morning."

"You say that every day." Aiko laughed as she dropped her bag in the hall.

"Of course, of course. It's your 17th birthday soon though. Of course you're getting taller...Dear girl, you look so much like your father." Ugh, not again. Her grandma was that type. She would always bring up subjects that hurt the most and continue on blindly, not recognising how upset the person was. Aiko knew she still hadn't gotten over loosing both her husband and her son.

Aiko trudged upstairs to her room and collapsed onto her spacious bed and stared at the blank white faintly textured ceiling above her. She didn't have to many memories of her parents. Although she remembered the night they died as clear as crystal. She had been lying awake in bed all night, waiting for Dad to come home so he could give her her usual bedtime hug but he never came. So she went downstairs to investigate. Then the doorbell rang and Aoko told her to go back to bed...That was the last time she saw her mother. When she came downstairs next morning, the house was full of police men. They were so surprised to see her. They had expected no-one else to be in the house. They told her that her father had been found shot through the forehead in a warehouse by the seafront and her mother was nowhere to be found. They assumed she had committed suicide upon hearing the news of her husbands death. Then they took her off to live with her grandma. Aiko had been inconsolable for the next few weeks. When everyone else had backed away when she snapped angrily at them when they tried to comfort her, only Conan refused to leave her side. She had even gone so far as to physically lash out at him, but Conan still persisted until she finally began to recover. Though the memories of her parents were few, they were fond. She remembered when Kaito took her to a poker game and she sat on his lap. "_Never forget your poker face, Aiko."_

Aiko still couldn't stop herself from crying at that memory. As to not disspoint her father, she practiced her poker face every day. She wanted to make him proud. All the days they sat on the floor in the front room together and practiced pulling roses out of nowhere and vanishing into thin air...She didn't want it to be for nothing.

"Aiko, Your dinner's ready!" She heard her grandmother call from downstairs.

"Co-oming!" Aiko called back. Then one simple twist of fate turned her entire life upside down. Aiko had a habit of stacking her manga up very high on the floor only for some reason, today she didn't notice it.

"Agh! OW!" Aiko cried as her foot collided with the pile and she began to topple. In a hurry, Aiko extended a hand to support herself. If it had just landed on a normal patch of wall, Aiko would've got up and gone to eat dinner and that would be that, but no. Her hand landed on the large framed poster of Toichi Kuroba. Although she had never been particularly fond of that poster, her grandmother had been strangely insisten she didn't take it down. Now Aiko knew why. The moment her hand rested on the picture, it immediately gave way, like a revolving door, hurtling Aiko through into a dark tunnel. Aiko let out a cry when she realised she was falling, but it wasn't a very long fall, for soon she found herself covered in dust that she had whipped up upon landing in this strange room. Aiko blinked. Where was she? Standing shakily, the girl dusted off her skirt, coughing. The room was dark, hardly enough light for her to see until a small lightbulb on the ceiling flickered on. Aiko surveyed her surroundings. Her first assumption was that this was simply a junk storage room, being piled to the ceiling with old car parts and rusted bikes but then she saw the computer at the other end of the room. Without any prompt, it turned itself on. Aiko stood in shock as words typed themselves out onto the blank white screen.

**Hello Aiko. This is your father.**


	3. Unshakable truth

"...D...Dad?" Aiko's voice began to tremble as she slowly approached the computer and sat herself down on the chair facing it. Without thinking, Aiko quickly tapped in a message on the keyboard, her heart racing and her breathing fast. Was it possible her parents weren't dead?

_-Are you alive?_ Aiko typed and held her breath. She waited and waited. Then it came.

_-No._

Aiko's hopes were shattered...But then...If he was alive then how was he talking to her? Aiko typed again.

_-What about mum?_

_-No._

Aiko breathed heavily and wiped a tear from her eye. Suddenly she was becoming very emotional. Then another question hit her.

_-Did mum commit suicide?_

_-No. _

_-Where am I? _She typed. The response took longer this time.

_-The Kuroba Family Secret._

Aiko stopped, her trembling hands hovering above the keyboard. Kaito beat her to it this time.

_-Would you like to hear a story?_

Aiko raised an eyebrow. Was this a normal question to ask when speaking to your orphaned daughter through what obviously was a pre-made program. That meant Kaito knew he was going to die all along.

_-Yes _

She waited.

_-Are you sitting down?_

_-Yes._

_-Good._

The computer paused for a second and then began to hum loudly as if it was processing information. Then it came up on the screen. Typing slowly.

-_Firstly, I would like to clear one thing up with you. Your mother did not commit suicide, so don't feel like she abandoned you. She didn't. Aoko loved you more than anyone in the world, as did I. On the night that I didn't come home, she was shot by men posing as the police just after you were sent to bed. I was shot by the same people hours earlier. I met the same fate as my father and your grandfather, Toichi Kuroba. I died at the hands of the Black Organization, killed by a man named Snake. Snake wasn't an official member, just an assassin they occasionally hired to get the job done. Your friend Conan has a history with the Black Organization too._

Aiko was confused. What could Conan possibly have to do with anything?

_-If you ask Ran or Shinichi about Conan Edogawa, they won't tell you. But I will. Years back, when Ran, Shinichi and myself were about the age you are now, Shinichi disappeared one night after going to the theme park with Ran. Some hours later, a child with a head injury was found unconscious, wearing clothes which were far to big for him. That child was none other than Shinichi._

Aiko wanted to yell out: "Woah, woah, woah! Slow down!" But she couldn't he couldn't hear her. So she typed instead.

-_Do you expect me to believe this?_

_-It's the truth. _

Aiko submitted and continued to read the rest of the story.

_-Shinichi had witnessed a transaction between the president of some company and a member of the Black Organization and got caught red-handed. One member snuck up behind him and knocked him out then forced him to take an untested drug named Apotoxin-4869 which turned Shinichi into a child. Shinichi concealed his identity for his own safety and that of others around him, taking on the guise of Conan Edogawa and went to live with Ran who was of course, blissfully unaware of his true identity. Only a handful of people knew. One was me. The others were his parents, a friend of his from Osaka, the professer who lived next door and another girl in the same condition, Haibara Ai._

Wait, Aiko recognised that name. She was Conan's next door neighbour, living in that strangely shaped house.

_-Shinichi himself is still attempting to track down the Black Organization. Aiko, what I'm about to ask you may be a little too much to take in so prepare yourself._

Aiko followed his instructions and took a deep inhale.

_-Avenge me._

Aiko blinked. It was still written there, plain as the nose on her face. No, double check. He couldn't be serious.

_-Avenge me and your mother. The reason we died was because of the Pandora Gem. Find it and destroy it, but don't let them destroy you first. Luckily, the Black Organization are unaware that Kaito Kuroba ever had a child. They want the gem because under the light of the full moon it grants immortality. Find the gem and destroy it before they get their hands on it. But you will need appropriate wear_

The cryptic talk that her late father was spouting weaved its way in and out of Aiko's mind, never find a place to settle. Appropriate wear?

_-Look in the large cupboard by the door._

_-Why?_ Aiko typed back.

_-Just look._

For a pre-recorded dying message, this thing sure was smart. But her dad knew her inside out. He knew exactly what questions she'd ask. But how would it know that him and Aoko were murdered? Aiko rose from her chair reluctantly, not wanting to take her eyes from the screen in case Kaito said something important but it remained blank. The cupboard stood ominously in the corner, looming over her like an oversized tomb-stone. Aiko couldn't begin to imagine what she'd find in there? Dead bodies? The passage to Narnia? Or maybe Conan would jump out and yell "Surprise!" and tell her he had been sat in there all along with his laptop, playing a very cruel joke. Although that didn't seem like Conan's style. Quivering hands, Aiko gripped the handle and pulled. She let out a scream of fright when something white cascaded over her head, burying her. Aiko flailed around in a panic until she realised it was just a white sheet of some sort. Pulling it off her head, Aiko examined closely.

"No...way..." Clutching the white fabric, Aiko dashed back to the computer, her fingers pounding the keyboard desperately.

_-Are you Kaito Kid?_

She held her breath. Although it was only a seconds wait, it was excruciating.

_-Yes._

Aiko stopped functioning properly altogether for a few minutes, her body tensing up, setting her in place like a statue. Her father, Kaito Kuroba, was the Kaito Kid. That slapped a logical face on everything. He had been training her all his life for this very day, when she would have to accept his hat and cloak. She had never really asked Aoko about what Kaito did every when he went out to work. When she did, Aoko quickly changed the subject. Aiko shook her head in disbelief. This wasn't happening. She was the daughter of one of the most elusive and mysterious criminals the world had ever seen. Kaito Kid. International criminal 1412.

_-You have it in you, Aiko. You're a bright and talented girl and you have the perfect poker face. Know that your mother and I love you very much and we're looking down on you from above, always watching over you. Stay strong, Aiko._

The screen began to flicker.

"Wait! Dad! NO! DON'T LEAVE ME!" Aiko scrambled at the keyboard but it was too late, the display went blank. Tears gushed down her cheeks. There she stood, the center piece of a sad, lonely portrait. A girl, a cape and hat, and a blank monitor. She sniffed.

"Dad..."


	4. The New Kaito

Conan was very disturbed when Aiko simply staggered into the classroom that morning and flopped into her chair, staring like a zombie. The whole class went silent. Even the teacher looked shocked. Aiko's head flopped forwards and landed on her desk with a loud bang.

"Omigod, Aiko's dead!" She heard someone call, which sent that class up in fits of laughter. Conan remained as stone-faced as a statue. He placed a hand her shoulder.

"Aiko, what's wrong?" All he heard was a faint noise which sounded like droning gibberish.

"Aiko?" More droning gibberish. He poked her in the shoulder. She made a strange quacking noise. Concerned, Conan rolled her head over so he could see her face. Aiko was a complete blank sheet, bags under her eyes making her look like something of a sleep deprived maniac.

"Woah, Aiko. You look terrible!" Conan exclaimed. "What happened?" Aiko stared at him as if she wasn't quite sure who he was. All of a sudden, her head shot up from the desk, a very forced and very deranged smile stretching across her face. Conan shuffled backwards, afraid she was about to pull a knife out on him any minute.

"Saay, Conan...?"

"Y-yeah?"

"You're a detective, right?"

"Right..."

"Then can you answer a hypothetical question for me?"

"Ask away."

"Well, Say for example you stumbled across something and...It placed a lot of responsibilty on your shoulders...For instance maybe a parent's will telling you that you had to do something for them...But you're not sure if you can go through with it?"

"No way, you're not saying your parents asked you to kill someone in their will?!"

"It's hypothetical! No, nothing that serious!"

"Well...I would do it." Conan smiled. "There's nothing better you can do for your parents than finish where they left off. If Dad died, I'd step in to take his place. If Mum died, I'd learn karate." Aiko smiled weakly.

"Thanks Conan, I can always count on you..."

For a while now Aiko had noticed a girl who was pacing backwards and forwards between Aiko's desk and her own. She would sit down, ramble to herself and then stride towards Aiko only to back away again. The girls lingering was becoming painful. Aiko waited for her to approach again.

"Something you wanna talk about, Hondou-chan?" Aiko smiled sweetly. The girl was taken completely by surprise, recoiling slightly.

"Umm...Well..." She stammered, playing with her skirt. Kaede Hondou, a wide-eyed girl with twin braids and coke bottle glasses, was something of the bully's favourite. Her timid nature and over-eagerness to help meant she was often taken advantage of by people who would pretend to be interested in her as a friend only to exploit her in the end and leave her crying. Aiko had always felt a strong sympathy towards Kaede and, even though they had barely spoken, she almost saw her as her secret sister. Aiko had promised herself that one day she would walk up to Kaede and pat her on the shoulder and tell her "I'll be your friend!" but whenever she tried Aiko's confidence suddenly drained, which was very unusual for her, the girl wasn't afraid of anything. Well, now was a good opportunity.

"I...I...I just wanted to see if you were ok..." Kaede stammered. "I hate to see Aiko-chan without her usual zeal..." Kaede began to fiddle nervously with her plaits. Aiko wondered why Kaede was so concerned about a girl that gave her an asthma attack will all her pink smoke.

"I'm cool, But thanks for your concern."

"Oh!" Kaede suddenly looked horrified. "I'm sorry I bothered you!" She cried apologetically as she made a dash for her desk, although ended up face flat on the floor instead after catching her foot on the leg of Aiko's chair.

"Oww..." Kaede rubbed the back of her head. She smiled nervously at Conan and Aiko. "I'm naturally unlucky...I guess I must've inherited it from my dad." Kaede went bright red and quickly recollected herself, returning to her chair and hanging her head low.

"Poor girl..." Conan muttered to himself. Aiko decided that she was going to take Conan's advice. There was not much she could do about it. She couldn't let her poker face go to waste.

School was finally dismissed and Aiko was still in a completely zombified state. She walked in silence alongside Conan. Aiko walked slowly, trailing behind Conan who occasionally had to slow down to keep at the same pace as her. It was when they reached the riverside path, Conan finally decided to confront her.

"Aiko, there is definitely something bothering you."

"Hmm...?" She glanced at her friend.

"Please, tell me what's wrong. I can't stand it when you keep things from me." Aiko flinched. _Yikes, As far as secrets go, this is a whopper..._

"I'm fine, Conan!" Aiko flapped a hand. "Jes fahn!"

"No you're not. Tell me what's wrong!"

"I keep telling you, nothing!" Aiko picked up her pace, swiftly overtaking Conan.

"Hey!" He cried and pursued her.

"Stop following me!" Aiko cried over her shoulder.

"My house is this way dumbass!" Aiko suddenly saw the absolute pointlessness in trying to run and skidded to a halt causing Conan to collide with her back. Aiko stood for a minute in silence.

"I just miss Mum and Dad." Conan was quite for a minute. Much to Aiko's surprise, he slid an arm around her shoulder and gave her a little shake, pulling her close to him.

"Why didn't you say so sooner...?" Aiko felt despair in the pit of her heart, especially when she saw his warm comforting smile, that she had lied to her best friend in the whole world.

"You could come over to mine if you wanted. You know impromptu visits are fine. Mum always makes dinner for one extra just in case. She rang me earlier and said that we were having omelette rice. It's your favourite, right?"

"Sorry, Conan. Oba-san is expecting me home, I'd love to but--"

"Not tonight, gotcha." Conan smiled, but Aiko saw past it, the dissapointment in his eyes. Her heart felt like lead.

"Oba-san, I'm home..." Aiko moaned as she stumbled through the door.

"Welcome home Aiko!"

"I'm going upstairs...to do my homework..." Her grandmother looked rather surprised.

"Oh, Okay..."

"Gimme a holler when dinner's ready..." Aiko trudged slowly up the steps. Her grandmother nodded but said nothing else.

Aiko couldn't ignore her fathers words or Conan's. The Black Organization, The Pandora Gem and Kaito Kid. It was her responsbility now to be the next Kaito Kid. Immediately she ran to her room and pressed against the Toichi Kuroba poster. Yet again it gave way and hurled her into the darkness. The room was exactly as it was before, Kaito's cape left draped over the back of the computer chair. Aiko was saddened that the computer didn't come on again. Slowly, Aiko approached the cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders, peering in the full-length mirror resting against the side of the cupboard. She hated to admit, it didn't look bad. She stared at the trousers. They were at least two sizes too big.

Aiko stared at herself in the mirror, cape trailing along the ground, tightening her blood red tie. Aiko had exchanged the trousers for a white pleated skirt with white shorts beneath. She knew Kaito Kid did a lot of jumping and flying, so she certainly didn't want every onlooker to have a clear view of her panties wherever she was. Not to mention she didn't want a club of squealing, obsessively smitten fangirls. That would be a little strange. Stood clad in full Kaito Kid attire, Aiko smiled in her poker-face manner at her reflection. Being Kid fit her like a glove.

"I, the humble maiden thief of the night, would like to enquire if I could liberate this jewel?" She chuckled to herself. She felt like Lupin III. Or possibly Fujiko Mine. Although, upon first discovering the secret it had disturbed her to the core, Aiko was anticipating going on a heist eagerly. Of course she would need a little time for planning. Aiko quickly changed out of her Kaito costume and returned to her room. She didn't want Oba-san to come up only to find she wasn't there. Although the was one little thing she hadn't considered. Getting caught in the act.

Her wide eyed grandmother stood in the doorway, still wearing her cooking apron with a pair of long chopsticks in one hand while Aiko was frozen in the act of climbing out of the secret room. The something very unexpected happened. Tears began to well up in her grandmothers eyes. But they weren't tears of sadness.

"Oh, Aiko!" She ran up to her grand daughter, hoisting her out of the secret entrance and into her arms. Aiko was speechless. Ok, this was a little...No, VERY strange. Her grandmother pulled back to look at her.

"How long have you known the secret?" She asked, her voice full of hope and joy.

"I found out yesterday actually..." _Ok, yes. Just play along, that's the best method..._ Aiko thought to herself.

"Wonderfull! Wonderful!" Her grandmother cried. "And Kaito's message?"

"I got that too..."

"Right. Kaito programmed that the day you were born, should this very event ever arise. He asked me to fill in the details of death though."

"Right, I'm still not sure I fully understand."

"The position of Kaito Kid is the Kuroba families greatest secret but also it's greatest achievement. Kaito was delighted on the day you were born, to think the next Kaito would be female..."

"I'm the very first then?" Aiko's head inflated slightly.

"Yep, show the how it's done, sweetie!" Her grandmother gave her a pat on the shoulder.

"Will do!" Aiko saluted.


	5. Red Dawn

Conan trudged down the stairs wearily, adjusting his school tie for the upcoming day. Since yesterday, Aiko had relentlessly plagued his mind. Although she assured him that she was simply missing her parents, he could see right through her. Of course, He knew her inside out. Something was bothering her and that bothered him. When did she stop telling him everything? Growing up together, Conan would be lying if he said that his feelings towards Aiko...were more than just friendship. Built up over so much time a close feeling of friendship had developed into a passionate love. Yesterday evening, on the walk home he had almost kissed her but had managed to limit himself to a friendly hug. But he wondered how long he planned on keeping this charade up? Being close as they were, Aiko and Conan had heard it all. The married couple jokes, people asking how long they'd been dating...According to his father, it was exactly like that with him and Ran. This gave Conan hope. Maybe one day...

"Good morning, Conan!" Ran smiled at him from across the kitchen, frying pan full of bacon and eggs in one hand. "You're just in time for breakfast."

"Thanks..." He sat himself down at the long table. Ran slid the bacon, eggs, hash browns and beans onto his plate and wiped her hands with a dishcloth.

"How's Aiko been recently?" Ran asked, her voice sweet enough to give you cavities.

"She's fine." Conan told a white lie.

"You really should invite her over more often, she is such a sweet girl." Conan sighed. That was another part of the package of childhood friendship. Constant little "Nudge-nudge hint-hints" from your parents. Innocently disguised ambiguous comments. Some more subtle than others. Shinichi on the other hand (When Ran wasn't in the room) was always trying to dig up every nitty-gritty little detail. Speak of the devil, the man himself came storming into the room like a heard of elephants, vaulting the breakfast table, TV remote in hand.

"Shinichi!" Ran gaped. "What're you...?"

"Check this out." Shinichi, sat on the edge of the breakfast table, began to hop chanels on the small wall mounted kitchen tv rapidly until he finally stopped on a news channel.

"_After an eight year absence the Kaito Kid is back."_

Shinichi remained silent, Ran dropped a glass, A piece of toast fell out of Conan's mouth.

"_The previous evening on the dot of midnight, Sonoko Suzuki ,Head of the Suzuki Corporation received a note from the Kaito Kid which read:_

_Ladies and Gentlemen_

_I have returned._

_On the stroke of midnight I shall_

_steal Red Dawn_

_With love, Kaito Kid_

"_And then signed with Kaito's trademark signature."_

No...There was something wrong with that smiling face. Conan's eyes widened. It had long hair and a ribbon on the hat. Could it possibly be insinuating that Kaito Kid was a woman?

"_Ginzo Nakamori, a long time driving force in the Kaito Kid task for has this to say." _The mic was snatched rudely from the reporter by a heavily built man with thinning grey hair and a thick mustache.

"No way, That's Aiko's grandad!" Conan leant forwards.

"_You may have eluded me all these years Kid, But as they say THIRD TIME LUCKY! IF YOU ARE WATCHING THIS KID, KNOW I WILL BE THERE TONIGHT AND I WILL CATCH YOU! I WON'T LET YOU LAY A SINGLE STICKY FINGER ON THE RED DAWN!" _Ginzo attempted to continue his raging speech only to be carted angrily off stage by two security guards. The reporter resumed his place.

"_The Red Dawn is a highly valuable ruby, currently in the possession of the Suzuki Corporation--"_

Aiko grinned manically as she flicked off her TV.

"Well, this was nowhere near as bad as I thought it was gonna be!" She grinned, rocking backwards and forwards, her hands hooked underneath her crossed legs. "The then again, Oji-san is on the task force..." That was a concern. Her own grandfather wanted her hanged. Not only that but he'd probably hang himself too if he realised that his daughter had married into the family carrying the tradition of Kaito Kid, the latest to inherit the secret being his very own granddaughter. Well, Nakamori never caught her dad, he wasn't going to catch her.

From the minute Conan walked into the classroom, Aiko could tell had had a lot to say and he wanted to say it now. He started talking the minute she was within reasonable earshot.

"Kaito Kid! He's—well I mean I think it's a he—He's back! Kaito Kid! I mean my was his worst enemy when he was my age! Kaito Kid, I can't believe it." Before Conan continue his excited waffle, Aiko produced a plastic gun from her school bag and fired it in Conan's face with a puff of smoke, producing a flag with "SLOW DOWN!" written on it, in bold comic-sound-effect lettering. Conan cooled his head immediately.

"Start from the beginning." Aiko breathed.

"Right, Well this morning my Dad turned on the news and apparently Kaito Kid is back! Do you know who Kaito Kid is?" Conan was having a hard time surpressing his excitement. By the looks of things, it was completely overwhelming the entire class.

"Yeah, he's that guy who flys around stealing stuff right?" Aiko attempted to sound uninformed. She noticed Kaede lingering again in the corner of her eye and gave the girl a smile to make her feel a little less intimidated.

"Umm...I just heard you were talking about Kid." Kaede laughed nervously.

"Why don't you join us?" Conan pulled a currently unoccupied chair from under a desk and signalled for her to sit. Kaede's eyes grew wide to the point where they looked on the brink of exploding.

"I couldn't possibl—!"

"Oh just sit down!" Aiko grinned heartily and dragged Kaede down by the arm into the chair in a "Whether-you-like-it-or-not" manner.

"Anyway, As I was saying. Kaito Kid sent a letter to the Suzuki Corporation saying that he was going to steal the Red Dawn! Your grandpops is well on the case." Conan grinned at Aiko. "And Dad's joining the task force." Aiko nearly choked on thin air.

"WHAT?!" She cried.

"My Dad, Shinichi Kudo is joining the task force. Is that a problem?" Aiko's stomach plummeted, dragged her confidence down with it into a sprawling empty void. Fantastic, she hadn't even started and yet one of the worlds most famous detectives was already hot on her trail.

"Did you notice something funny about the note though...?" Kaede commented timidly.

"Yeah, It looked like a girl didn't it? The signature I mean."

"Hmmm." Kaede hadn't looked either Aiko or Conan in the eye once during the whole conversation. Her eyes were fixed in cement on her knees where her hands where clasped white knuckle tight. Aiko assumed she was still having doubts out them being genuine or not.

"Maybe Kaito Kid just wants you to think that..." Aiko chipped in. "Throw everyone after an 8 year absense with something like that...Or maybe he's planning to infiltrate the building disguised as a woman."

"Nah, Dad said he used to do that all the time without any sort of forewarning." Conan clasped his hands behind his head and leant back on his chair. "Maybe I should join the task force..." Aiko turned to stone.

"Huh...?"

"I'm gonna join the task force!" Conan was suddenly alight with burning determination. Aiko felt like a goldfish out of water, mouth flapping slowly and no air being taken in. She could've quite easily flopped around on the floor too in her shock.

"Really?" Kaede's eyes began to shimmer. "Wow, that's brave. I would be to scared in the face of Kaito Kid."

Aiko was almost scared in the face of Kaito Kid too. Her esteem regarding the mission had suddenly plummeted to sub zero. Why Conan of all people?

The turnout for this robbery was a lot larger than Aiko expected. From her perch atop the Suzuki building, she stared down at the raging mob. Posters and flags all in her honour. She wondered if any of the fans would be put off when they realised she was a girl.

"Kid! Kid! Kid!"

The incessant chants were meant to be for her benefit, to encourage her, but the only thing she felt at the pit over her stomach. Aiko gulped and pushed her hat into position, adjusting the monocle on her face so it hung just right. She couldn't chicken out now, she had come this far. But jumping off the building was seeming all the more unappealing from her current stand-point. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. It wasn't working. Aiko's nerves were at explosion point. Everything would've been fine if Conan weren't involved. She wouldn't mind so much if he were a simple onlooker, supporting her from the crowd but...To think he was actually joining the task force. Aiko stood and reverted to her poker face.

"LAADIES AND GENTLEMEEEEEN!" She called, her voice echoing throughout Beika. Everyone looked up, the crowd falling silent. Aiko knew that if she hesitated she wouldn't be able to go through with it. So she ran blindly, with single-minded determination towards the edge of the building jumping straight off it with such confidence. A cheer went up from the crowd. Aiko was stuck in a nose dive, hurtling towards the ground. Then she pulled the switch on her hangglider and deployed it. The crowd went wild. She could hear voice's shouting from below.

"Kid's wearing a skirt!"

"Is Kid a girl?"

Aiko worried that this might diminish her fanbase but to her utter shock the cheering only got louder as she circled the Suzuki Building majestically like a giant white swan. Despite all this, past her poker face, she was laden with guilt.

"_I'm sorry, Conan..._" she whispered.


	6. First heist

The calls of the crowd, the whirlpooling neon lights and the dizzying heights were rotating Aiko's stomach relentlessly and disorientating her. How did her dad manage this so often? Aiko decided to deploy the crowd pleaser/distracter while she made her way into the Suzuki building. Aiko fumbled around inside her pocket for the detonator and pulled it out, pressing down on the red button. Suddenly, jets of pink smoke began to rise from the tops of the buildings surrounding the Suzuki Corporation's Headquaters, vibrant fireworks shooting out around them and dazzling the crowd. While their attention was focused on her generous light show, Aiko changed her course and dived for the largest window of the Suzuki building. She could've just snuck in from the roof but that wasn't what being Kaito Kid was about. She couldn't perform without an audience.

Conan weaved his way throughout the cheering crowd, his father hot on his heels, pushing blinding and all the while never taking his eyes off Kid. His theory had been correct, Kid was none other than a woman...But...It confused him. Why all of a sudden was Kid female? The first thing that ran through his mind was that this was simply a disguise to throw everyone off...Or perhaps Kid had always been a woman and had only decided to let this fact become known now. It was either one of those two or this Kid was a completely different person. Even from his standpoint on the ground, the girl circling the firing skies so far and so alien to him, he felt immediately...attached to her.

"Kid is headed for the Suzuki building!" Ginzo screamed into his radio. "Don't let hi—Her get away!".

Aiko had always been a wall climber, so tackling heights and steep surfaces was a breeze. Aiko retracted her hangglider and hooked her hands onto the small ledge upon the window. Kicking off the glass, she swung backwards and brought her legs through the glass, spraying it out across the office. _This should be a cake-walk _she mentally reassured herself. But she would be lying if she said she wasn't unbelievably nervous. She remembered her Grandma's face as she had walked out the door, Kid hat under her arm. She bid her goodbye as if Aiko were simply going to school or to a friends house. Aiko surveyed the room, the only security systems present were mere CCTV camera's. She didn't let them bother her. Aiko simply removed her hat and bowed at the camera, merely to taunt the police.

"She's in the building?! You call yourself policemen! Don't let her even get a glimpse of Red Dawn! Do you hear me Nakamori?" The slim business woman bellowed into the radio. Ginzo had to hold it at arms distance to avoid going deaf.

"We'll catch her on the inside, Miss Suzuki." Ginzo reassured.

"I highly doubt that." Sonoko slammed down the radio on the table off her office and stomped her foot, throwing her medium length dirty blonde hair over her shoulder. She glanced at the crowd from her window. There she saw Shinichi and his son manoeuvring through the pedestrians, flanked by a mob of policemen (The Kid Task Force) and Ginzo. Sonoko snorted.

"What does Ran see in him? Still just as useless as when we were teenagers." Sonoko and Ran were still close friends but, needless to say, her opinion of Shinichi was still lower than ever. She had told Ran that it still wasn't too late to back out while she stood in front of the mirror, admiring her wedding dress. Sonoko had remained unmarried, unfortunate for her. But on the plus side, she inherited the entire Suzuki corporation and enough money to take baths in every evening.

Aiko had the blue prints for the building. If her calculations were correct, Red Daw was two floors from the top, while she was somewhere in the middle. The room was armoured with with many invisible sensors which would lock the room down completely and enable a smoke cloaking system but she was prepared for both. The smoke would be helpful if anything. She needed a disguise to allow her to move around the building a little easier. Aiko crouched behind the door of the office, waiting quietly for the next passer by. A middle aged police-officer. He would have to do. Aiko lunged from the darkness.

Conan stuck closely by his father as they scouted the building.

"This is a different person altogether, or Kid in disguise for no apparent reason." Shinichi said to no-one in particular. "Although I don't think he would disappear for eight years then suddenly make his big re-appearance as a woman..."

"Kid is a girl!" Conan blurted out, but then immediately began to wonder why. Shinichi stared at him strangely. Then his pocket radio began to buzz.

"This is Ginzo Nakamori, I have caught Kid, he's here on in the Red Dawn's safe room!" Shinichi stared at the remote.

"It's a trick." Conan raised an eyebrow at his Dad. "He used the exact same trick on me when we first met. He's going to direct everyone into that room on purpose so he can..." Shinichi trailed off "Perhaps..."

"Well, lets go!" Conan tugged on Shinichi's sleeve.

"Slow down. You can never hope to be a detective if you rush head first into things, which is your one failing. Being too eager. It's clear that this is a different kid. Woman or not, this one may be more willing to hurt than the last one."

"I just have a feeling...A hunch...That maybe she won't..." Shinichi remained quiet before gesturing down the hallway and breaking into a run, Conan pursuing him.

Aiko was right there, still clad in her policeman costume, in front of the Red dawn. True to it's name, the gem shone as brightly the fire struck sky in the first hours of sunrise. The security system had been easier to evade than she had thought. Slowly, Aiko reached and plucked the gem from it's cushioned display case (Which of course was very easily removed) and held it for a second, captivated in it's beauty.

"So Kaito Kid..." Aiko froze. "...We meet again...Or possibly for the first time." Aiko recognized the voice. Shinichi Kudo. She winced before turning, poker face at the ready, altering her voice slightly. Much to her dismay, Conan was right behind him. She grinned, her smile like a dagger shining in a pitch black room.

"Allow me to introduce myself." Aiko bowed. "I am the maiden thief of the night. Might I liberate this gem?" The practice payed off. There was no doubt in either Shinichi or Conan's mind. This Kid was definitely a woman.

"Sorry, But I can't let you do that." Shinichi remained calm, slipping his hands in his pockets. Kaito Kid raised a gloved hand slowly, spreading her slender fingers. She retracted one of them.

"...3..." She chuckled.

Kid was counting down.

"...2..." Another finger down.

What to?

"1!" She clicked her fingers. Right on cue, the police stamped into the room, the pack lead by a furious Ginzo Nakamori. Shinichi and Conan were blown out of the way like paper.

"Kid!" Ginzo roared and sped at the thief like a bullet only to be stopped in his tracks by a loud alarm. Then without warning, smoke began to spew from the ceilings, blinding the policemen.

"Damn!" Shinichi harshly wrenched at Conan's arm, dragging him past the disorientated policemen to the window only to see Kid soaring high into the air, Red dawn under her arm. Conan stared in awe. The crowd below went wild. Sonoko Suzuki cursed at the top of her voice. Kid got away. Shinichi grinned.

"It was a double bluff..."

"Eh?" Conan tilted his head on one side

"I assumed h—She was going to lead us to believe that she as going to fly away when in actuality she was just going to disguise and slip into the crowd but she really did use the hangglider."

"It's one of the rules of being a magician. Never repeat the same trick twice in front of the same audience." Conan smiled.

Aiko collapsed face first onto her bed, the Red Dawn resting on her bedside table. Her heart was still pounding a million miles a minute, her face hot and flushed with anxiety even though it was all over. She breathed. There it was. She pulled off her first heist...And it was completely fine. Even in the face of Conan, she felt like a completely different person. When she was Kid, not an ounce of fear she felt. Only now, upon becoming Aiko Kuroba again did she feel shaky and breathless. With a wistful sigh, Aiko rolled over exuberantly and sat upright.

"My first heist! A big success!" She giggled. Quickly coming to her senses, she entered the secret room to hide the Red Dawn. Aiko, off in her own little world, danced and twirled in her room, striking Kid-like poses and practicing her speech. What an exhilarating profession she had gotten herself into. She was brought back down to earth when she hear her mobile phone chirping on her desk. Aiko glanced at the caller ID. It was Conan.

"Spice of Asia Indian Takeaway, how may I help you?" Aiko imitated an Indian mans voice. She heard Conan chuckle on the other end.

"Hello Aiko..."

"Aah! How did you know it was me?" Aiko laughed.

"First of all, you always pick up the phone like that and second of all, there is no Spice of Asia, Indian Takeaway." Aiko giggled.

"So, what's up?"

"I just got back from the Suzuki building. Kid got away..."

"No way!" Aiko pretended to be mortified, when her inner-self was cackling manically. "So, was Kid a man or a woman?"

"A woman." Aiko's curiosity suddenly got the better of her.

"...Was she pretty?"

"I couldn't see her face too well past the monocle but she did seem quite beautiful..." Aiko surpressed an embarrassed squeal. "...And sort of...Familiar."

"Odd..." There was a slight pause.

"What have you been up to tonight?" Conan enquired.

"Just chilling."

"Right...Umm..."

"Yeah...?" There was a very long pause. Aiko could detect Conan's breathing becoming slightly heavier.

"It's just...Umm...Nothing. I wanted to say something but I'm not gonna do it over the phone...It's not important..."

"Oh, Okay." Aiko's heart fell a little. Maybe he was keeping things from her too.

"Just called up to tell you about Kid soo...See you in school tomorrow I guess."

"Seeya!"

"Bye..." The phone went dead. Aiko felt slightly ambivalent. While the thrill of juggling two contrasting persona was certainly the biggest one she'd every experienced, a small part of her conscience told her that lying to him was wrong.


	7. Planning

"Ladies and Gentlemeeen!" Aiko flung the classroom door open, grinning fro ear to ear. Conan was glad to see her mood had finally improved. Throwing her arms into the air, Aiko clapped twice, two white doves emerging in puffs of move. Vaulting several desks, Aiko leaped into her desk beside Conan.

"Good morning!" She grinned broadly at her childhood friend. He smiled back and nodded.

"Morning. Glad to see your feeling better than the other day." Aiko stretched, leaning back on her chair.

"Weeeell...I managed to resolve a pretty big problem!" She yawned.

"Really, what?"

"Just this whole...crazy thing." Aiko mumbled.

"My first attempt to catch Kid was a disaster..." Conan hung his head. "I assumed that she was a rookie but I was wrong...Dad seemed kinda surprised too..."

"You're new to the taskforce I guess!" Aiko patted his back a little too hard. "I actually a little surprised they let you join." Conan had learnt to take Aiko's occasional insensitivity with a pinch of salt over the years.

"Well, Dad has a lot of pull with the police force, He's good friends with a lot of the inspectors. Not to mention I have solved a lot of cases in the past but...I'm still a beginner..." He sighed. " Dad was at Sherlock level by my age, what am I doing wrong?" Aiko thought it was time to get out her shovel to fill in the hole in Conan's self-esteem.

"You are far from a beginner! You've solved millions of cases that the police could barely get their heads around!" It was true, Conan was at the same level Shinichi was at when he was his age but sometimes his self-doubt got the better of him and his skills began to falter a little. He had it instilled in his head that Shinichi had been past his level at his age but he was wrong. Aiko just wished he could see that...Then again, That wasn't going to be easy when they were rivals at midnight.

"You'll still be with the task force right?" Aiko leaned forwards, a concerned look upon her face. Conan smiled.

"Well, If you believe in me..."

"Sure!" Aiko beamed. "Don't give up Conan! You're the best detective I've ever known! Kid doesn't stand a chance against you!" She felt like smashing her head against a brick wall.

"Aiko-chan! Conan-kun!" It was Kaede. Looking a little more sure of herself than last time. This time she didn't go through the hour or so of nervous hovering. Either that or she had been a little more subtle about it. She was smiling brightly. "Aiko-chan, did you see Kid last night? I was in the crowd! I didn't really want to go but papa tripped over and broke his leg the other week so I went in his place...He really wanted to see it. I saw you there with Shinichi-san, Conan!" Kaede smiled at him, her eyes wide and shining as if she were very pleased with herself for being able to converse with people with such ease. "You two look alike...Are you related?"

"He's my dad actually, Hondou-chan." Conan laughed. He was sure he had mentioned it her earlier but obviously she wasn't listening. Aiko and Conan almost heard imaginary teacups smashing on the floor as if Kaede had just dropped them in shock. She took a seat next to Conan and stared at him intensely as if he had just appeared out of thin air.

"Umm...Conan-kun...If I'm not imposing...Could I...?" Kaede got up, dashed back to her desk and returned with a small pink notebook in her hands. "Can I trust you to get his autograph for me? On the back page! Don't look through it." Conan didn't fail to see why Kaede seemed to be the bullies pet pick if she was this trusting. He took the notebook and smiled with a nod.

"Sure!"

"Did you see Kid then Aiko-chan?" Kaede sat back down again.

"Yeah, It was really something." Aiko lied. "All the fireworks, I was really surprised!" Kaede smiled.

"If Kid pulls off another one, we should all go together...Oh but then Conan-kun is in the taskforce." Aiko choked. She had won Kaede over that quickly. And the problem was...she couldn't come and watch the Kid heists with her...She was Kid!

"I'm going to catch Kid next time." Conan's confidence boosted. "I'll stand her right in front of the camera's and unmask her for the world to see!" Aiko gulped. She didn't like the sound of that. Aiko hadn't as of yet picked the next spot for her heist but she knew another was going to take place. Red Dawn was just a warm-up. A practice exercise. Next time she would really show them the real Kaito Kid.

"Hey Aiko-chan?" Kaede leaned in close to Aiko's ear, lowering her voice to a whisper.

"Hmm?"

"Next week...Are you going to give a...Y'know...To Conan-kun?" That sounded terribly suggestive in Aiko's ears. She blushed.

"Eh?"

"Chocolate?"

"Why would I give Conan chocolate next week...?"

"Because it's Valentines Day, right?" Aiko stared at Kaede. Being so caught up in the frenzy of being Kid, she had completely forgotten. Whether she would be giving Conan any chocolate or not, she was unsure. Being just "friends", for the past years Aiko had simply given Conan a box of chocolate Pocky every Valentines Day but...Perhaps if she were to give him proper Valentines chocolate this year...Homemade chocolate...Then maybe...Just maybe...

"Nah." Aiko replied. "Just friendship chocolate. You?"

"Eeh?" Kaede blushed. "I don't really have anyone I want to give any too...If I made you friendship chocolate would you accept it?" Aiko stifled a giggle. This girl was too innocent to be true.

"Of course! I'll make you some too!" Aiko grinned and patted Kaede heartily on the back.

Aiko was just going to chill out tonight, kick back and watch some anime. Dressed in her comfortable gear, a sweater and jeans, Aiko rolled out onto the floor, a packet of rice crackers in one hand, her large squishy Doreamon pillow in the other. Aiko flicked through the TV guide that lay on the floor in front of her, a large seaweed wrapped cracker in between her teeth.

"Aww, Not on for hours..." Aiko muttered to herself. Ah well, Couldn't hurt to check out the news while waiting for the anime to start. She pressed the remote. The cracker fell from her mouth. There had been a camera crew there the whole time? Sure enough, there she was, clad in white soaring around the Suzuki building, fireworks bursting in the skies above her.

"_After an eight year absense, International criminal 1412, more widely known as Kaito Kid, makes a dazzling comeback by stealing a precious gem owned by the Suzuki Corporation, known as Red Dawn. Many Kid fans speculate that the Kid we saw last night was actually an impersonator or apprentice of Kid, the original Kid being male while this Kid was in fact female. Although this time Kid successfully eluded the police and escaped with Red Dawn, corporation head Sonoko Suzuki has vowed Kid's capture."_

The footage switched to a very furious looking Sonoko, clad in a long blood red jacket, camera's lighting her face from all directions.

"_Kid was successful this time but I won't let the little cat get away this time!"_

"_Sonoko, Is it true that you were in fact a fan of Kid yourself some eight years ago?"_

"_That I won't deny, But I've grown up. Besides, the last Kid was a handsome young man, It was a stupid schoolgirl crush."_

"_And what are your plans for the Suzuki Museum of Gemstones which is opening this weekend?"_

"_Hmm...It's unfortunate that Kid should make a comeback just before this big opening weekend."_

"_What actions will you take should Kid try to steal anything?"_

"_Peh! The whole place is nothing but gems and rare stones, Kid would be lost for words. Never fear because I have the entire Kid taskforce on my side."_

Aiko's grin widened as she hoisted herself upright, the Doraemon pillow clutched against her chest.

"Wuooah! Gemstone museum! Lu-cky! They're just taking the cake now!" Bubbling with excitement, Aiko jammed her finger on the volume button, cackling with glee. "It's like they want me to steal everything!" Aiko rocked backwards and forwards giddily, now munching down the crackers at lightning speed with anticipation. This opportunity Sonoko had presented her with almost had her foaming at the mouth with excitement. A quick scan of the internet would tell her what jewels were up for grabs, then she could easily plan her heist and decide which were worth taking. And how to evade the police...And her dear friend Conan...should the need arise.

Days passed in which Aiko eagerly planned her heist, acquiring blue prints of the museum and making sure all her escape gadgets were up to scratch. The only slight hinderance was that she actually had a deadline for this particular heist. The opening evening of the Suzuki Museum of Gemstones which was creeping up on her rapidly. The letter of announcement had to be in Sonoko's hands at least one night in advance. Conan picked up on her excitement at school and whenever he enquired as to a reason she simply replied: "It's a secret." Unbeknown to Aiko in her state of temporary blindness, this upset Conan deeply. Since when did she keep secrets from him? They had told eachother everything, no matter how personal. Aiko had gone to Conan before her own grandmother to tell him that she had started bleeding down below every month. Whether he actually wanted to hear about such things or not was another matter but she told him anyway. Just like he never kept anything from her. He immediately assumed the worst...Or his worst fear anyway...That she had a boyfriend. Aiko's secretive actions were hurting her dearest friend deeply, but she was too wrapped up in herself to notice. If Aiko could've just seen how much this effected Conan, she probably would've punched herself in the face.


	8. The Son of the Scarlet Temptress

The eve of the heist went exactly as planned, the letter arrived safely and was announced on TV that evening. Of course both Aiko and Conan watched from their individual houses, each feeling stomach-turningly ambivalent. Featured on the news that evening, was a very fired up and determined Sonoko Suzuki, poised defiantly outside the gemstone museum, daring Kid to come on in, alongside a livid Ginzo Nakamori, shamelessly cursing Kid at the top of his lungs. Aiko was almost slightly saddened by the fact both her best friend and her own grandfather wanted to see her behind bars. There wasn't much she could do about it though. It was the path she had chosen.

As Aiko lay in her normal position, sprawled out across the floor, squeezing her Doraemon pillow, watching the news, she suddenly froze altogether as she was hit by a shocking revelation. The opening night was Valentines Day. It was Valentines tomorrow. And she hadn't followed through on her idea of finally making Conan some chocolate. The heist was planned right down to the very last detail but she had forgotten something as simple as chocolate. Urgently, Aiko abandoned the TV ,fuzzily humming at a near mute, and her Doraemon pillow and slid down the banister in a hurry to reach her coat. She threw it over her shoulders with haste. Fingers clasping the front doorhandle, she was stopped mid-stride by her grandmother.

"And where do you think you're going at this hour, young lady?" She said sternly, hands on her hips as Aiko turned from the half opened door to face her.

"To buy chocolate..." Aiko laughed nervously, a hand on the back of her now beanie donning head. In her long black coat and beanie she looked more like she was going to steal chocolate than pay for it.

"Eating sweets this late in the evening? Absolutely not." Her grandmother wrenched at her arm. "You aren't going anywhere!"

"But Oba-saaan!" Aiko protested "It's not even for me!" That stopped her grandmother dead in her tracks. She turned, eyes wide with shock at her granddaughter.

"For a boy?" Aiko saw little point in lying. She nodded.

"I thought I told you, Absolutely NO DATING until you are 20!" Aiko recoiled, her grandmothers stance and expression screaming "PARENTAL DISSAPROVAL" storming towards her like a large brass band.

"It's Valentines Day tomorrow and I need to buy Conan some friendship chocolate!" Aiko half-lied.

"Conan-kun? The Kudo boy?"

"Yes, Just for Conan! Not for a boyfriend! Friendship chocolate! Please?" Aiko clasped her hands together. Her grandmother pondered briefly and then sighed, rolling her eyes.

"I can't say no, really..."

"Thank-you!" Aiko sung, already halfway down the front garden path.

It had been tough finding a shop that was open at such late hours but Aiko had managed to catch the local confectioners which was about a second away from closing. The door clicked shut behind her as she returned home, a plastic bag full of chocolate-making ingredients in hand. Only one heist in and she was already finding it hard to seperate her personal life and her Kid life. She crept across the hallway. Her grandmother was engrossed in a TV drama and usually when that happened, very little could distract her. Aiko slid into the kitchen, discarding her black beanie and coat for a striped white and pink cooking apron. She slipped her hair back into a tight ponytail, rolled her sleeves up, clenched her fists and let out a low, determined "Yosh, Let's get going then."

Aiko stared at the ingredients in front of her. It was only then when she realised she didn't know the first thing about making chocolate. Beyond rational thought, Aiko flew into panic immediately. Maybe she should of put a little more thought into this beforehand. Calming herself and deciding there was little that could be done at this stage in the game, Aiko began cooking regardless.

Teitan High seemed to ignore Valentines Day on a whole. Of course, all the girls were distributing chocolates and cards and Aiko could see that several couples had formed but there was nothing special about the building itself except that the corridors smelled strongly of chocolate. No decorations or frills. Just leave the Valentines to the students, it wasn't the schools business. That seemed to be Teitan's philosophy anyway. Aiko clutched the chocolate nervously to her chest. Already her heart was plunging at the thought of Conan rejecting her. But she tried her hardest to push these negative thoughts to the back of her head. She bumped into Kaede in the corridor.

"Good morning Aiko-chan!" Kaede turned her attention to the bag in Aiko's hands immediately. "Is that for Conan-kun?"

"Yeah." Aiko smiled.

"Really? Cause it doesn't look like friendship chocolate." Kaede nosed, trying to get a proper look. Aiko quickly pulled it from the girls eyeshot, hiding it behind her back.

"It is! I can assure you!" Aiko laughed. Kaede didn't look convinced but kept her mouth closed. "Have you decided on anyone?" Kaede smiled and shook her head.

"Nn." The two girls approached the classroom door. "But there's one boy today who every girl is giving chocolate to." Aiko titled her head on one side, reaching for the classroom door handle.

"Really, Who?"

"The new boy." Aiko threw open the door which unveiled the mysterious "new boy". Aiko could immediately see why he was the centre of attention (Or chocolate giving). Atop a desk he sat, girls at his feet giving him the look of a religious statue in the centre of a mass worshiping crowd. Thick strands of crimson hair hung above his wide mahogany eyes. They were obviously not the eyes of an Asian. The tall thin handsome young man smiled down at the girls as they bombarded him with gifts, smiling and excepting them politely. Aiko stared. While it was clear he had every girl in the class under his spell, she wasn't even slightly fazed.

"Who is he?" She turned to Kaede, who seemed to be in some dreamy state herself, staring at the boy longingly with glazed over eyes.

"Huh...? Oh!" Kaede returned to being responsive. "That's Koizumi-kun...Akai Koizumi-kun. Handsome isn't he?" Aiko grimaced, sticking out her tongue in disgust.

"Not my type."

"Huh?" Kaede looked at Aiko if the words she had just spoken were an extreme taboo. "But he's so...He's perfect! It almost makes me wish I had bought some chocolate with me today!" Kaede suddenly didn't sound at all like herself, almost slightly stroppy as opposed to her normal timid polite demeanour. Without warning, Kaede suddenly took off and joined the crowd of screaming fangirls, fighting for Akai's attention. Aiko let out a sigh and took her seat. Conan wasn't here yet. She rotated the chocolate in her hands. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. It was then she noticed that Akai was staring at her. She looked away for a few seconds then turned her head back again. Nope, he was definitely staring at her. Or rather, the chocolate in her hands. He was staring at her as if he wanted her dead. His eyes bearing down into her sent a shiver down Aiko's spine. What was with him? The door slid open. Conan took his seat beside her.

"Good morning!" Aiko smiled nervously, quickly shoving the chocolate into her desk drawer. Conan stared at her suspiciously.

"Good morning." He smiled and showed her a large plastic bag. "I've been given a lot of chocolates today." He grinned. Aiko's heart fell 50 ft.

"Is that so..." Aiko went blank all of a sudden.

"Hmm? Are you ok?"

"Ah, It's nothing!" She grinned. Conan peered briefly over Aiko's shoulder.

"He new?"

"Hmm, That's Akai Koizumi. The new girl magnet."

"Oh, I get it. You made chocolate for him right?" Conan teased. Although he was joking he sincerely hoped that wasn't the case. "I knew something was up!" Aiko flapped her hands nervously, her face turning scarlet.

"No! No no no no no! NO! Not for that guy!"

"Whatever..." Conan sniggered and pulled a Holmes novel from his bag. He paused for a second. "Oh yeah, Were's my obligatory box of Pocky?" Aiko froze.

"A...hahaaa....That thing! Yeah!" Aiko slid her hand into her desk. She felt the wrapped chocolate under her fingers. _Go for it! If you don't give it to him now, you'll never do it! _She pulled it out slightly. No...She couldn't. The chocolate returned to the depths of her desk. "I left it at home!" Aiko made up an excuse. Conan's heart dropped. She had never once forgotten. Not in all the time he had known her. Never. He turned his head away from her, pretending to be reading his Sherlock book when really he was trying to hide the fact he felt like crying. Little did he know, Aiko was on the brink of tears herself.

"Right..." He said, and nothing more. Aiko let out a heavy sigh and flopped onto her desk, face flat, her teeth sunk into her bottom lip. A thick air of depression hung gloomily around the two desks, cutting through the treacly atmosphere of Valentines day. Suddenly Aiko felt a hand on her shoulder. To her utter horror, it belonged to Akai Koizumi. She was receiving death glares by the barrel full from the female student body and one mortified gape from Conan.

"I noticed you have chocolate in your desk." Akai smiled sweetly at her. Aiko was horrified. Why would he just come up and point that out in front of everyone!? The abyss of depression at the bottom of Conan's stomach was threatening to swallow his aching heart whole. She did have chocolate after all...For some other boy. Akai continued to grin at her.

"Who is it for?" He enquired.

"Nobody..." Aiko replied quietly.

"Give it to Akai!" She heard a random girl cry from amongst the crowd.

"Yeah, none of the other boys deserve it!"

"Give it to him!"

Aiko looked around, flustered. The girls were now chanting: "Give it! Give it! Give it!". Akai was smiling at her sweetly. Aiko detected poison in his warm honey coated smile. She turned her head away from him.

"No!"

The class fell into silence.

"It's not for you!" she declared defiantly. Akai recoiled.

_I can't....control her?!_


	9. Opening night

The school bell rang. As teenagers poured out of the building, Aiko trudged amongst them, the homemade chocolate still at the bottom of her bag. She hadn't been able to give it to him. And Conan had been particularly distant with her all day for some odd reason. She was happy to see him waiting for her at the gates though. The only time he hadn't been there is when either of them had been ill. He greeted her cheerily enough, but she noticed his forced smile. Aiko knew this wasn't the time to be letting her emotions get the better of her though. Tonight was her second heist as Kaito Kid.

As they walked an awkward silence polluted the surrounding air. Aiko only dared a nervous glance in his direction occasionally. Conan also could only bring himself to look at her briefly. They were approaching the Kudo house fast and not a single word had transpired between the two the whole time. Both felt it was time to intervene.

"Hey--" They both started at the same time.

"Oh, Sorry! Please continue!" Conan flustered.

"No, I interrupted, Please..." Aiko waved her hands frantically.

"No, you first!"

"No you first!" The two paused for a second and stared at one another. Their mutual smiles turned into wide grins before the two burst out laughing. When it finally subsided, Conan began to say what had to be said.

"Say, Aiko. I have been meaning to ask you something..."

"Ask away!" Aiko smiled, glad he was talking finally. Conan glanced in the opposite direction nervously for a second and exhaled. He might as well get right to the point.

"Do you have..." He paused. "Do you have a boyfriend?!" He blurted out a little louder than he'd meant to. Aiko turned bright red quicker than a traffic light.

"No! No, not at all! What made you think that?!" Aiko stammered. Hang on...Was Conan implying what she thought he was? Why would he ask this kind of question...on Valentines Day no less!? Aiko's heart began to race. Conan smiled nervously at her.

"Oh, I was just checking. Because I noticed you've been sort of...happy recently...and whenever I asked, you never told me why so I naturally assumed...Not to mention, I noticed that I'm missing a friendship chocolate from you this year..." Blocking every unsure thought out of her mind, Aiko flung the chocolate from her bag and thrust it into Conan's face, quickly looking to the ground in embarrassment. Conan pulled his face back a little to avoid being hit in the nose.

"That's because...I thought I'd make you some proper chocolate this year...I-I don't know much about chocolate making so I messed up bad and it probably doesn't taste very nice but...Here." Conan was almost beside himself with happiness. His warm smile reflecting the joy in his heart, a slight tint of red across his cheeks, Conan accepted the chocolate from Aiko, who still didn't dare look him in the eye. He laughed with relief, wondering why he had got himself so worked up in the first place.

"Thank you Aiko...! Thank you so much!" She glanced up at him.

"I-it's still friendship chocolate!" She stood upright, crossing her arms and adopting a harsh expression. "It's not like I made it specially for you or anything, Oba-san was just making a cake and there was some ingredients left over and I thought it would be a shame to let it go to waste...Besides, it probably tastes terrible. I don't care if you throw it out." Her face was bright red as she said the words. Her lies were anything but convincing. Conan extended a hand and ruffled her hair, in an almost condescending manner. She glared at him.

"Don't ruffle my hair and smile like a moron!" She swung her school bag at him. Conan caught the bag in his hands with unbelievable ease and lowered it slowly, laughing uncontrollably. They had reached the Kudo house. Conan waved, stood at the half open gates. Aiko waved back as she passed him to continue on to her own house. Conan chuckled to himself when Aiko finally was out of his view. He stared at the chocolate in his hands and felt a warm feeling grow within him. This was the first time she'd ever made him chocolate herself. Even if what she had said earlier was true, he was still happy.

"Welcome home ,Master Akai."

The young man grimaced at the hunched old butler politely holding the door for him.

"I never get used to that shrivelled old face of yours..." Akai spat while removing a stray lock of blood red hair from his eyes.

"Well, yes. Your mother tells me the same thing everyday..." The old man took it in his stride. Akai strode briskly through the darkness shrouded corridors to the main hall where Akako Koizumi was busy scrawling notes at her large dust coated desk. Akai dumped his school bag at the full length oak doors and went to greet his mother.

"I'm home." The woman glanced up briefly from her paper and quill, shaking her fringe from her eyes.

"Oh, Hello Akai." She muttered before returning her attention to her notes.

"Something quite interesting happened today." Akai said, although he sounded as if he was just informing her that he had had the most boring school day of his life.

"Yes?" Akako lifted her head, setting down her quill. "How was Teitan?"

"It was somewhat boring...Nothing special. The girls hearts were easier to win that I had first assumed." Akako smirked to herself at this, her mind filled with bittersweet thoughts of the one boy who she could never control. "All except for one."

"I knew it." Akako raised from her seat. "Lucifer told me this morning." Akai gave his mother a questioning look.

"Lucifer? Why didn't you tell me then?"

"I thought it would be better for you to find out for yourself!" Akako chortled. Her son didn't look even slightly amused.

"Well then, Why? Why can't I control her? Why can't I steal her heart?" Akai demanded. Akako's lips formed a delighted grin.

"Because she is the daughter of that man."

"Who?"

"Kaito Kid. The only man I couldn't control." There was a pause.

"Kaito Kid? That tacky thief?" Akai scrunched his nose. "He died a while ago didn't he?"

"Not before he had a chance to have a child. With that woman...The Inspectors Daughter..." Akako chuckled to herself. "Oh, I've been awaiting this day for years..."

"Don't sound so pleased mother, this is serious!" Akai huffed. "I want to control her!" Akako glanced at the frustrated boy and leaned closer to him, her wide grin threatening to break the boundaries of her face if it got any wider.

"I know the feeling. I'm speaking out of experience here. You see this girl, nothing special right? Then when you find out you can't steal her heart, it only makes you want her even more. All the other girls don't mean anything to you anymore, you just want this one girl. But nothing you do can get to her. You'll try everything but nothing will work. You hate her because of it...You might even try to kill her..." _But you can't ever seem to bring yourself to do it._ _Then you realise that maybe you don't hate her after all. Maybe what you have mistaken for hate is perhaps...An obsession...Or maybe even...love. _Akako sincerely wished she could've added that onto the end of her sentence but she wasn't about to let her son know that she had in fact fallen in love with the very thief he had refered to as "tacky" only seconds ago. She simply paused, her lips open, the pause in place of the words she could've said. Akai furrowed his brow.

"Something else you want to say...?"

"Oh...no." Akako shook her head.

"Well, just because you couldn't control Kaito Kid, doesn't mean I can't control her. Maybe she isn't like her father!" Akai sounded more like he was reassuring himself. What his mother had told him...He couldn't exactly say he didn't feel that way about the girl.

Aiko was still blown away by the sheer mass of people that were practically trampling one another to get a good view of the Gemstone Museum. Of course, Sonoko had arranged a ring of guards and temporary barriers all around the building the prevent over fanatic members of the public and perhaps even Kid herself in disguise from entering. Only a select group of people had been invited into the building for the opening. Aiko was one of them, seeing as her grandfather was in the task force. She had anticipated this. It nothing but an advantage. Sonoko had just let Kid into the building. All Aiko needed was an opportunity to slip away. Inevitably, Conan was there too.

Clad in an elegant strapless black dress which hung above her knees, Aiko walked down the path (It seemed almost like a red carpet) created in the mob of people here for Kid, in between her Grandmother from her fathers side and her Grandfather from her mothers side, Ginzo Nakamori. Aiko was very amused to see a 5-year old on her parent's shoulders with a makeshift cape and hat and a sign reading "KAITO KID LOVE". Aiko felt a little out of place amongst so many sophisticated looking guests in the main hall of the Suzuki Gemstone museum. Although the wall to wall glass cases of nothing but gemstones were a welcoming sight. She saw Shinichi ,looking something like James Bond in all his Tuxedo clad glory, and his wife Ran, fitting the part of the Bond girl with her thick flowing hair, scarlet dress and matching lipstick, conversing with an elderly looking guest with a rather bored looking Conan at their side and a dark skinned boy she wasn't sure she recognised. His face lit up when he saw Aiko. She saw him mutter something to the boy and then the two ran over to Aiko.

"Hi!" Conan said cheerily.

"Wow, look at you in your tuxedo!" Aiko replied. Conan blushed a little, scratching the back of his head.

"Thanks...You look beautiful..." Conan only just managed. Aiko's heart thumped. She wondered if he was being serious or he was just flattering her. She turned to the dark skinned boy. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

"Huh? Oh sorry! Aiko, this is Yuma Hattori. He's a detective, like me! Yuma, Aiko Kuroba." The boy grinned and extended a hand.

"Pleasure t' meetcha!" Yuma said in probably the broadest Kansai accent that Aiko had ever heard. She smiled and shook his hand. Another detective at the scene? Darn, that was going to be a problem.

"Pleasure to meet you too!" The teenagers were then approached by Shinichi,Ran, a man that Aiko could instantly tell was Yuma's father just by looking at him and a woman she assumed to be his wife, Ginzo and her own grandmother as Sonoko took the stage, a microphone in hand.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the grand opening night of the Suzuki Museum of Gemstones!" The crowd applauded. "Tonight is going to be a fantastic one, I can assure you!"

_Yes, I get the feeling tonight will be full of surprises _Aiko chuckled mentally.

* * *

_A/N: Oh, just so you know, Akai Koizumi is in no way related to Shuichi Akai. I just needed a boys name with "Aka" (Or red) in it and that was the only one I could think of._


	10. The Swan

"Now!" Sonoko raised a hand exuberantly, as if she were a popstar beginning her latest song rather than a corporation president announcing the plans for the night. "Years back, Kaito Kid stole a very precious jewel from my very own mother in similar settings to this. I won't make the same mistake as my mother. Tonight I would like to show you the crowning achievement of the museum: Probably the largest naturally formed diamond in the world, _The Swan!_" The lights dimmed. The perfect opportunity for Aiko to slip away, but she left it. She had everything planned. Several spotlights on the floor burst into life, revealing a cylindrical velvet red curtain surrounded by armed guards, which slowly began to rise. As it did, a stunning white diamond shaped uncannily like a swan for something formed naturally, appeared, barricaded by thick protection glass. The awestruck crowd applauded once more as the main lights returned. A jazz pianist who had kept himself rather hidden in the corner until now began to play. Sonoko smiled broadly at her achievements, applauding herself.

"Enjoy tonight and keep a close look out for Kid!" she announced and left the stage. Aiko marvelled at the diamond. She was gonna have a hard time lugging this home.

"Say, Ginzo, Miki, Aiko. Did we introduce you to Heiji and Kazuha?" Shinichi enquired politely. Ginzo turned and smiled.

"No, I don't believe you have." The man who was obviously Yuma's father and his wife stepped forwards and shook each of the three's hands in turn.

"Very nice to meetcha all!" The man ,who's name was Heiji apparently, said. His Kansai dialect was mind-blowingly broader than Yuma's. Aiko saw the boy had obviously inherited it from his father.

"Ginzo Nakamori, I've seen you on TV quite a few times!" Kazuha's accent wasn't quite so strong but still unmissable. Ginzo shrugged.

"Well, I have a passion for fighting crime. Catching Kid especially."

"I can tell, I can tell!" Kazuha laughed. "Good luck tonight!" While all the introductions were taking place amongst the adults, Conan, Yuma and Aiko had snuck off to the food bar and were happily chatting over beverages. Aiko scoped the room secretly. She recognised many of the guests. Juzou Megure, Wataru and Miwako Takagi, several other members of the police force including Shiratori, Chiba and even Yumi the traffic cop, a grey haired Kogoro Mouri and his wife chatting with Shinichi's parents and a mysterious looking blonde haired woman talking to a plump, crazy-haired, mustachioed old man, both of whom Aiko was sure she recognised. She didn't really have time to think about it though. She realised Sonoko had taken the stage again.

"Oh, just to let you know. We've locked the building down." Shocked gasps arose from the crowd. "If Kid isn't in already, She's safely locked out. If she is in, then she's trapped."

_We'll see about that_ Aiko thought. She knew this was coming. It didn't take a psychic to know the thoughts of Sonoko Suzuki. Now was time for her plan to initiate. With the flick of a switch, the lights blew, plunging the room into darkness. The crowd began to scream and run in random directions. Sonoko feebly attempted to calm the crowd while the guards did their best to prevent people from escaping the building. While Conan and Yuma were distracted in all the frenzy, Aiko fled at the speed of light, moving swiftly along the walls to the halls exit. Aiko positioned herself behind the velvet red curtains which hung down next to the doorways to other exhibits. She had already rigged Sonoko's microphone and all the speakers in the room. She pulled a small headset and mouth piece from her pocket and began.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" She heard the noise from the main hall die down immediately. "I, Kaito Kid, am honoured at such a warm welcome!" Aiko altered her voice slightly so Conan and the others would not recognise it as hers. "I shall serve as tonight's entertainment! Thankyou!"

"Tonight's entertainment?" A confused Sonoko Suzuki furrowed her brow.

"The Jazz Pianist!" Someone in the crowd called.

"Get him!" Within seconds, the poor pianist was enveloped by Ginzo and several other members of the task force. Aiko crouched in her hiding place, restraining fits of laughter. Aiko slid at the speed of light from the curtains, tugging her Kid mantle from the white top hat in the process. With the flick of a switch, the lights were back on. The crowd turned. Aiko, now Kaito Kid, was perched atop the glass case containing the Swan. Ginzo immediately ceased mauling the pianist and turned his attention to the real Kid. Aiko grinned at the crowd and stood upright.

"If you don't mind I'll be taking the swan." She hopped down from the case and placed her hands on the lid, removing it with great ease and simply hoisting the swan from it's resting place.

"Don't let her get away!" Ginzo called. The task force was charging like rhinos within seconds. A puff of smoke, Ginzo's grasping hands fell onto thin air. Kaito Kid was gone and so was the Swan. Conan and his father, the only ones who had not joined the Kid stampede, noticed a mysterious figure in black slipping out of the hall. Conan looked at Shinichi.

"Dad!"

"Let's go!" The two took off in the direction of the figure.

Ginzo lay breathless on the floor, steaming with rage.

"Kid got away! Kid stole the swan!" He roared, frightening away both the members of the task force and the public. All except Sonoko, who approached him with a smile and whispered softly into his ear.

"Don't worry. Kid just left with a fake." Ginzo took a few seconds to comprehend the situation.

"So, that swan--?"

"--wasn't real." Sonoko nodded and winked. Ginzo sighed with relief.

"As expected of you, Suzuki-san." Ginzo at upright and shook the proud womans hand.

"Nothing to worry about folks! The swan is safe!" Sonoko announced. "Kid stole a fake!"

Aiko cursed as she ran, her feet pounding the marble floors, the fake swan clasped under her arm. Why did the two sharpest members of the force happen to be her childhood friend and his dad? Aiko scaled the stairs as fast as possible, climbing higher and higher in the building. Loosing sight of Shinichi and Conan wasn't easy but she managed it. Finally she reached the top floor. The top floor was an observation room, a giant glass pyramid atop the building which was lit very brightly along all the walls by blue-white neon lights, giving the pyramid a city-feeling sparkle. The view was fantastic, looking out all over Tokyo. There was a window in the very tip of the pyramid which could easily be opened. Aiko knew that this would almost definitely be locked as it would be the easiest place for Kid to exit and enter. Aiko's previous distraction was to make sure all the security guards that may have been in the observation room were called down to make sure that no-one left the building or possibly to apprehend the falsely accused jazz pianist. She knew very well that the swan was a fake. Sonoko thought she could throw her off just like that? How stupid. What's more was Aiko knew where the real one was. She just needed to make everyone think she had left with the diamond so the police wouldn't continue searching for her. She knew there would be guards down at the place of the real diamond too but she had planned for that.

Aiko placed her gloved palms against the glass and rested a foot on one on the railings. Using this as a launch pad, she pushing, chimney jumping her way to the tip, wedging herself between either side of the pyramids peak. Aiko fumbled around in her dark cloak she had brought to assist her escape and produced a sharp tool, created a small circle in the glass and slid her hand through, releasing the lock outside. Aiko heard footsteps approaching. Perched on the window ledge, she tugged off her cape and activated the hangglider. She took a deep breath.

_3...2...1! _

Aiko thrust herself forwards and began to slide rapidly down the glass surface. At the same time, she released the glider and allowed it to fly out into the night sky solo, leaving it's master behind, only the fake swan hanging below it .No worries though. Aiko affixed a remote control to it so it would take itself back to her house...Not only that but she had a backup cape. With the aid of a pre-prepared grappling hook, Aiko avoided being thrown from the building altogether. She hung beneath the granite ledge at the rim of the pyramid and allowed herself to catch her breath for a moment.

Conan and Shinichi reached the observation room breathless, only to be greeted by the sight of Kid flying away into the distance. Or so it would seem to the untrained eye.

"Damn! Kid got away..." Conan huffed, still breathless from the chase. Shinichi took a few seconds to catch his own breath before replying:

"No, she didn't. That swan was a fake." Conan stared.

"Really?"

"If I know Kid...Well although this is a different Kid...She should be able to tell a fake by looking at it. Keen eye, even I didn't spot it. I only knew because Sonoko told Ran, Ran told me."

"But...Kid might not have..."

"Well, to be on the safe side, let's go down the basement where the real one is being kept to check." Aiko heard their footsteps fade away. She breathed a heavy sigh of frustration. Why?! Composing herself, Aiko shimmied down the building on her rope and into the nearest window, incapacitating and taking on the guise of a passing security guard in the process.

"Right!" She pulled her cap down over her eyes. "To the basement!"


	11. A kiss before midnight

The task force had decided it was a good idea to stake out the basement, which was a little bit of a grievance. Aiko lingered in the stairwell, still in the guise of a security guard. Ginzo and Sonoko were sharing red wine and congratulating one another. It appeared she had reached the basement before Conan and Shinichi so she couldn't just loiter on the stairs forever. Aiko stood and strode towards the task force, a female guest she had taken the liberty of abducting on the way over, unconscious over her shoulder.

"Inspector Nakamori!" She called, adopting a husky male voice. Ginzo stood immediately.

"What is it?"

"We found this woman knocked out in the toilets on the way here!" Aiko positioned the womans head to let Ginzo see her face properly. Ginzo's eye's widened.

"Suzuki-san!" He glanced at the knocked out woman then at Sonoko then back again. "Suzuki is Kid in disguise!" He bellowed, finger pointed at her like a pistol. Yet again, without putting any rational thought into it, the Kid Task force jumped on Sonoko within seconds. Giggling, Aiko set down the unconscious woman, who she had kitted out to resemble Sonoko and slipped the real swan from it's stand and into her cloak. Without one of the task force members laying an eye on her, she left.

Aiko was surprised she didn't run into Shinichi or Conan on her trip back up to the pyramid. This heist had gone smoother than she had expected, extremely well considering this was only her second time. Aiko stood, now Kid rather than a security guard, swan in her hands, her cape fluttering in the light breeze drifting through the hole she had created earlier to remove the lock. She chuckled to herself. Just as she prepared to leave the way she had pretended to do before, she heard a disturbingly familiar voice from behind her.

"And where do you think you're going Kid?" It was Conan. He stood casually behind her, his hands in his pockets. With a quickly applied poker face, Aiko turned to face him. She advanced on the boy slowly.

"Impressive, boya." She giggled.

"I followed you up here. I knew you would go down into the basement so I waited for you."

"And your father?" Conan looked a little confused.

"He knew nothing. But how did you know he was my father?"

"We have a mutual acquaintance." Conan didn't notice quite how close to him Kid was now, a silky gloved hand beneath his chin. Conan suddenly froze, his heart stopping mid beat. Why did the touch of this mere phantom thief disturb him so? Her nose brushed his.

"I always give notice before stealing something..." Aiko suddenly began to comprehend the situation. She was flirting with him? How? When did this happen? Simply being in this white suit switched her into a strange auto pilot. Her body would not longer obey Aiko Kuroba's orders. Kid was fully in control. And what she was about to do next was something that Aiko Kuroba would have never even dreamt of doing.

"I'm going to kiss you." Kaito Kid whispered. The hot breath on Conan's neck sent shivers down his spine.

"Wha—Mff!?" Conan let out a muffled cry of shock. A warm pair of lips pressed against his. Her gloved hands cupped his face, bringing them closer together. Kaito Kid was kissing him. It was strange. Not at all a kiss of someone who was almost a complete stranger to him. Not lacking in feeling at all. A loving and tender and strangely...familiar kiss. Conan knew he should be pushing her away, asking her where the hell her self respect was, but he wasn't. He closed his eyes. Before he knew it, the kiss had ended and Kid was already backing away. She chimney jumped up to the tip, slid out the window and glided majestically away. All he had done was stand there and watch her get away.

Aiko made sure to fly low to avoid being seen. Everyone in the crowd outside assumed Kid had left the previous time. Landing in some bushes, Aiko quickly returned to her black dress and wrapped the swan in her black cloak. Her grandmothers car was parked nearby. She slipped the swan into the trunk and began to make her way back to the museum. Her fingers traced her lips as she walked, staggering a little as if tipsy.

"I kissed him..." She mumbled. That was her first kiss...No, that was Kid's first kiss. She hadn't been in control at the time. Sure they were her lips, but it was not her who had given the command. It was Kid. Something irritated her about this. And the person on the receiving end of her passionate liplock had been her childhood friend and love, Conan Kudo. What an odd feeling it was, to be jealous of yourself for kissing your best friend who you've always been secretly in love with. Aiko shook away these thoughts and slipped silently back into the museum through a window pane she had removed in advance earlier on.

Aiko feigned ignorance to everything, claiming she had been in the toilet the whole time. Her act deserved an Oscar, pretending to be shocked at what Yuma filled her in on. Conan was still nowhere to be seen. Shinichi had returned to the hall, order finally restored, and was happily chatting with his wife. Eventually, a very distant Conan joined the two in the hall.

"Oi, Where've you been?" Yuma turned, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Did you see Kid?" Aiko dashed forwards, sounding concerned. Conan stared at her with glazed over eyes.

"Kid...She..." He stammered. Aiko tilted her head on one side and made a small confused noise, trying to look innocent in case he suspected her. "Kid kissed me." Aiko recoiled in feigned shock. She couldn't help but feel slightly pleased with herself somehow.

"She WHAT!?"

"Woah, nice going!" Yuma gave Conan a friendly punch on the shoulder.

"I can't believe it!" Aiko screamed. "That...tha-tha-that...little...! I'll see her hanged for this!" Conan placed a hand on Aiko's shoulder, his lips forming a meek smile.

"Don't worry about it, It didn't mean anything. She only did it to drive me to distraction...I assume." Aiko winced. _Ooh, Bullseye._

"I still just can't believe it!" Aiko shook her head.

"What was she like?" Yuma raised his thick caterpillar-esque eyebrows suggestively. "Was she good-looking? Ugly? Tall, short, fat, thin...? Y'know...? Big...in the chest or no?"

Conan scowled at Yuma. "Unlike you, A womans chest isn't the first place I look when I meet her." Aiko couldn't help but blush. "And to answer your question, I don't really know, her face was hidden by shadows. I saw her eyes though." Aiko froze. That didn't sound good. "They looked like..." He glanced in Aiko's direction for a second. She winced again. "No, It must have been my imagination. There was something not quite right about her. Like whenever I see her I get deja vu...There's just something so weirdly familiar about her...Something I can't quite put my finger on...Maybe that's why I let her escape tonight."

"Yeep, don't tell Shinichi or Oji-san that!" Aiko mock-whispered. "They'll have you drawn and quartered."

"Yeah, I messed up bad didn't I?" Conan laughed, hooking a hand around the back of his neck.

"Donmai, Donmai!" Yuma slapped him heartily on the back. "Although I think it would be very amusing to watch Shinichi-han chewing you out, Me and Kuroba will keep it ourselves right?" He nudged her with his elbow, a playful grin on his face. Aiko grinned.

"Oh yeah, we won't tell a soul!" Aiko sang cheerily.

"Your faces don't look very convincing." Conan raised an eyebrow.

"Aiko!" It was her grandmother. "C'mon, we're heading off now." Aiko sighed.

"See you on Monday, if not, before then." Aiko waved bye to Conan as she left the hall. "Hope to see you again some time too, Yuma!" The two boys waved as Aiko disappeared from sight.

A book collided with the wall. Akai stood breathless, the many books he had thrown all around his feet. He dropped to his knees and pounded the ground with his fist, leaving a steaming hole in the carpeted floor.

"Dammit, Dammit, DAMMIT!" Akai swayed as he shakily picked himself up, staggering back to the mirror before him and the image which was not his reflection but rather a picture of a girl. A girl in a white cloak and hat. Akai clasped the edges of this mirror and shook it harshly as if trying to gain some kind of reaction from an irresponsive enemy.

"WHY?! THAT GIRL...!!" Everything his mother had said to him before was true. He wanted her heart. He wanted it more than any other girls. At the same time he wanted her out of the way. If she was dead then every girl's heart would be his. Yes, Exactly. Get rid of the girl. That's what he had to do.

"You know, you could always bring her to you." He didn't realise that Akako was posted up against his bedroom doorframe, smiling maliciously. Akai glared at her past his crimson bangs.

"What do you mean by that?" He growled.

"I made something for you...Just in case." Akako produced a small doll which she had been keeping behind her back and offered it to her son.

"A doll...Of her?" Akai stared at his mother like she was insane. "Well, what am I supposed to do with this!?"

"Voodoo, the good old fashioned way." Akako winked. "It was actually an old doll of mine...But I altered it slightly for your benefit. Give it a try, It's quite fun. She'll come running to you."

"Voodoo? Don't make me laugh. That's childs play."

"Childs play it may be, But it is effective childs play. Go on. Just try it. You'll love it."

Aiko forced herself out of the black dress as quickly as possible. While she couldn't deny, it did look nice on her, she hated formal wear. She liked clothes which gave her a little bit of freedom, ones that would be okay for rolling around on the floor in. Even the Kaito Kid outfit made her feel slightly agitated. Seeing as it was already two minutes to midnight, Aiko slid into her pajamas and made herseld comfortable under the sheets. As she lay, staring at the ceiling and remincising about the highlights of today, she felt a strange pain in her chest. Where had this come from all of a sudden. Then her arm. Then she realised she was bleeding. A large gash on her arm had just opened itself. Then her whole body began to sting as if she was being stabbed by millions of...well, it wasn't quite needles...more like lit matches. A burning, stabbing sensation. Gasping in pain, Aiko clasped her chest, her burning heart rattling around in her rib cage as she rolled, crashing to the floor. She cried out again. The burning pain only intensified. She noticed she was bleeding out of quite a lot of places now, gashes forming themselves on her body. No, things like this didn't happen normally. Something wasn't right. Someone was doing this to her. Voodoo? Of course Aiko didn't believe in such things but, that was exactly what this felt like right now. Voices echoed in her head. Familiar voices. Calling out to her. Calling for her to come to them.


	12. The Scarlet Arts

Aiko wondered how on earth she had managed to get into her Kaito Kid outfit when she was in so much pain she could barely walk. Lucky the hang glider didn't require much movement. She wore a black cloak over her glistening white suit tonight, using her spare camouflage hang glider which she had fashioned herself. Although normally Kaito Kid would find other methods of transportation while not on a heist, Aiko found that the hang glider could be useful in all situations. So she decided to make a black one for stealth at night. The pain wouldn't stop. Although visually she was unseen, she was drawing a little more attention to herself than she'd hoped with her frequent cries of agony.

Akai stabbed and stabbed the doll, relishing the pain he knew he was causing that wretched girl. Akako seemed rather amused at how much he was getting into something he had regarded as childs play as early as five minutes ago.

"She's nearby." Akako chuckled. "Why don't you go and meet her?" Akai dropped the doll and the collection of needles on his desk, breathing heavily. He grinned. He was looking forward to meeting her again. Being able to talk to people using his true face was an opportunity that rarely arose.

Aiko staggered, her knee's giving in on her altogether. She clutched her chest, the blood staining her satin white gloves. It was funny. She had suddenly set out the house with absolutely no knowledge of where her secret attacker was, yet here she was, outside a gothic victorian mansion. At the oak doors stood a tall, pale boy she really wished she didn't recognise. But he was unmistakable. His blood-stained hair, the cold malicious eyes of a killer bearing down into her. She looked up at his uncontrollable satisfied grin, and the doll he was clutching in his hands. She winced, more blood trickling from slowly forming wounds.

"...I've been waiting for you, dear little thief" Aiko supported against her tree and staggered to her feet, poker face cloaking the sheer agony it caused her. Although she really had no idea what was going on, she had to play it like she did.

"My, my..." She said casually. "Is this how you welcome all your guests?" Akai sneered.

"Give up your little act, I already know your true identity. Now, I will be the one to steal your heart."

"You shouldn't tease your elders." Aiko groaned, stumbling forwards. "Now, allow me to take a look at that doll of yours." And like a fly caught in a spiders web, she fell into his trap. A bright beam of light encircled her, cryptic runes drawing themselves on the ground beneath her feet. Aiko recoiled, almost toppling over backwards in the process.

"You're trapped. The phantom thief is no more than a mere pickpocket ." He sneered. Aiko suddenly felt the cold air disappear, the atmosphere becoming dry and heavy. She gasped, tried desperately to inhale but no air came. Her body was inflamed. Aiko cried out, fumbling with the collar of her shirt and tugging away her tie. Akai cackled with delight.

"Does it hurt?" He stepped forwards and crouched down beside the gasping, choking thief. She wanted to scream in pain but no sound would come. She was suffocating. "Do you want the pain to end Kid?" Akai produced something which looked like a heart shaped chocolate from within his long black cloak, and handed it to her. Aiko realised snow had begun to fall around her. She saw it but she couldn't feel it. With a shaky hand she took the chocolate from Akai.

"Eat it. You will be free from the pain...But in exchange, your heart will be mine forever." Aiko held the deadly confectionery centimeters away from her lips. She opened her mouth, ready to bite into the loss of her heart. But then the pain stopped. She felt a rush of air flowing down her throat. She gasped and savored it. The cold wind on her skin was more welcome than it had ever been in her life.

"Well, EAT IT KID! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?" Akai commanded. Aiko smirked.

"Sorry, Spoiled prince. But your magic is no good here." With a minimal amount of force, Aiko squeezed the chocolate, which simply crushed in her hands. Akai stood, scoping the perimeter for some unseen aid.

"But how--!?"

"The snow has rendered your magic circle powerless." Aiko stood, the pain simply blowing away on the passing breeze, wounds and blood receding like a tide. "It's the magic of mother nature." Akai stood, swaying, a tortured expression of failure on his face. "Taking someones heart by force is too sad...But I don't believe you are a bad person." Aiko patted the boy on the shoulder, turned and ran, activating her hang glider as she did so and flying off into the darkness. Akako stood behind her son.

"Funny, I just got deja vu." She smiled up at the snow dashed night sky. Akai couldn't describe the burning feeling in his heart at this very moment.

Aiko let out a loud yawn. That was probably the busiest Valentines Day she had ever had. The cold weather outside really didn't appeal to her at this exact moment in time. Aiko pulled the duvet up to her nose. She could've easily stayed in bed like this all day. But her grandmother wasn't having any of it.

"Aiko, Get up girl and make yourself useful!" The impatient old woman gave the half-sleeping girl a harsh nudge.

"But oba-saaan..." Aiko moaned, jamming her head beneath the pillow. "I'm cold and tired! Did you have to steal a diamond last night?" She thought it was probably best she didn't bring up her little encounter with Akai.

"I will not tolerate laziness in this house. Get up!"

"5 more minutes..."

"No, get up now. Why don't you go and see Conan-kun or one of your other friends from school?"

"Dun' wannaaaa."

"Alright, you leave me no choice..." Aiko twitched

"No, not THAT!" She cried.

"Yes, THAT!" Her grandmothers footsteps receded into the distance. When the woman appeared again, in her hands she was holding a particularly large salmon. Aiko let out a shriek and pulled the duvet over her head.

"Are you gonna get out of bed now?"

"YES YES, JUST PUT THE FISH AWAY!" Her grandmother grinned with satisfaction.

"Good girl." When the dreaded fish had finally left the room, Aiko hoisted herself upright, let out another loud yawn, and ruffled a hand through her bedhead hair. She glanced at the phone on her bedside table. 10:34 am. She yawned again. Normally she didn't get out of bed until about mid-day (Save for school days or days when her grandmother was in a mood like this). Sleepily, she staggered to her cupboard and tugged out the first outfit that met her eye. She considered todays plans while pulling the sweater over her head. Conan would probably be tired too, so he was out of the question. Maybe she could get together with Kaede today, seeing as she had already obtained the girls phone number. Aiko thought it would be nice if they could be friends. Aiko didn't really have any close range female friends. She had one very good friend from Okinawa but they didn't see eachother very often so it would probably be a good idea to get to know Kaede better. She seemed like a nice enough girl.

Kaede seemed completely overwhelmed upon receiving a phone call from Aiko. Aiko assumed no-one had ever called the poor girl up like this before.

"So Kaede, I've got nothing to do today so...Do you want to go out somewhere with me?" There was a very long silence.

"Kaede, are you still there?"

"Y-yes I-it's just...no-ones ever asked me if I wanted to do something with them before!"

"Well, Do you?"

"Of course!"

"Great, How about we go and grab parfaits at Cafe Poirot? Shall I meet you there?"

"Okay, I'll see you there Aiko-chan! Thankyou very much!"

"No problem, See you there."

"Bye!" Aiko chuckled to herself. Kaede had sounded so excited about something as simple as going to a cafe with a friend...Aiko wondered if Kaede had ever even had any friends before.

It appeared Kaede had been waiting a while when Aiko arrived. She seemed surprised Aiko had actually showed. Despite her timid outer shell, Kaede proved a lot more talkative than one would imagine once she had begun to relax.

"Say, Aiko-chan?" Kaede set her spoon down in the glass bowl of parfait. She glanced around as if to check no-one was listening. "Can you keep secrets?"

"Yup!" Aiko said before taking a large helping of florescent pink ice-cream. "Twll me anyfink!" That was a bad habit of hers, talking with her mouth full. Kaede looked around again.

"My Dad is an FBI agent." Aiko's eyes widened. "...And currently he's working on coming down on this really..." Kaede glanced around again. She leant across the table and lowered her voice to a whisper. "...This underground organization called...the Black Organization...Apparently it's really dangerous to talk about them in public. Dad told me never to do so but...I felt like I could trust you with this information. He says they hide in the shadows, around every corner, whatever they do they can make it disappear...Like that incident all those years ago...When Shinichi-san went missing." Aiko couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was perfect! Now she had someone with inside knowledge on her side. "Did you know about what happened to Shinichi-san?" Aiko nodded.

"My Dad told me...Before he...passed on." That was a little white lie.

"Your Dad is dead?" Kaede looked mortified.

"Both my parents actually."

"Oh god, I'm so so sorry, Aiko-chan!"

"Nah, It's ok, Please continue."

"Well...I just thought you might find this interesting, seeing as you and Conan-kun are such good friends and Shinichi-san is Conan-kun's dad...Y'know Conan's next door neighbour?" Aiko knew her vaguely. She remembered receiving a pat on the head from the woman when she was only young and had come over to play with Conan. She had been told that the woman just tended to keep herself to herself and didn't really leave the house very often. Aiko did see her round at the Kudo household a lot though, having dinners and casual chats with Shinichi and Ran. When her parents were still alive they would often join them. Her and Conan were never allowed to stay and listen to their conversations though. They always were shooed out of the room. Aiko was also fairly sure that her father had mentioned her in his dying message...Her name...Was Ai Haibara if Aiko remembered correctly. "Well...I hear that...She used to be a member of the Black Organization...So Dad is keeping a very close eye on her." Aiko couldn't believe her own luck. Maybe when she had finished talking to Kaede, it was time to pay this next door neighbour a visit.


	13. The girl from the Organization

Aiko trudged as quietly as possible up the snow covered path towards the house which was shaped more like an observatory than a living accommodation. She didn't want any of the Kudo household members noticing her there. The snow certainly wasn't making her mission any easier, for with every step she took, the snow produced a loud crunch where her foot landed. Finally she reached the large glass doors and nervously extended hand to press the doorbell. It was answered by a short round man with fluffy white hair, glasses and a Super Mario Brothers style round nose and mustache. Somehow he reminded Aiko of Santa Claus. His face lit up when he saw her.

"Oh, Aiko-kun!" He beamed. "What can I do for you!"

"I'm sorry?" Aiko wasn't sure if she'd met him before.

"You're Conan's friend aren't you? You probably don't remember me do you?"

"I can't say I do, sorry..." Aiko laughed nervously.

"Well, I'm Professor Hiroshi Agasa, but you can just call me Hakase. You and Conan used to play around at this house all the time. My, you've grown since I last saw you, Come in! Come in! I'll get you a hot drink, you must be cold!" The interior of the house matched the outside perfectly, very sleek and modern and yet slightly strange. Aiko sat down at a long blue sofa, facing the man, with a mug of hot chocolate in her hands.

"So, what brings you round here, Aiko-kun?"

"I was hoping I might be able to talk to Haibara-san about something and...Oh, Just so I don't forget. Could you not mention to Conan or Shinichi or anyone that I was here? Tell Haibara-san that too." Agasa looked confused.

"Ok, I'll go get Ai now." He stood and left the room for a few moments. After a while, a tall blonde woman wearing what looked like a lab coat appeared. Aiko recognised her immediately. She had seen her at the party last night. Come to think of it, Hakase was there too! Ai strode over to the two sofa and sat opposite Aiko.

"Well, What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" She asked. Aiko exhaled.

"Umm...I wanted..." She twiddled her thumbs nervously. She lowered her voice. "What can you tell me about...The Black Organization?" Ai's aqua eyes widened. She leaned in closer to Aiko, her expression and tone suddenly becoming very urgent.

"Don't go around asking questions like that so boldly, you'll get yourself shot!" She hissed. Aiko recoiled slightly.

"Sorry..." Aiko mumbled.

"Don't apologise. Anyway, What exactly would you like to know?"

"Everything. Finding them is very important to me."

"Why is that so exactly?"

"They killed my parents." Ai's expression changed immediately to one of a sort of strange smugness and delight.

"Well, I must say it is an honour to meet you...Kaito Kid." Seconds stretched to minutes, minutes to what seemed like hours. Aiko sat, stone cold with shock. Ai smirked at the girl and continued.

"Kaito and Aoko Kuroba, Shot through the head, Supposed suicide, 8 years ago on October 15th. Is that correct?" Aiko gulped and nodded at complete loss for words. "Even Shinichi was fooled by what he had been told, that it was a serial killing and a suicide, But I knew better. They are very good at making things disappear. It was the Organization. Which lead me to the conclusion that your father was Kaito Kid. Kaito Kid disappeared that very night didn't he? That was the night of his last heist. Then all of a sudden he reappears as a girl. It's clearly you. Well, You're lucky I'm not the type to blab so your secret is safe from the Kudo's. Well, As for information on the Black Organization, I can't tell you much that won't endanger the lives of everyone around you. The Black Organization is like Pandora's Box. When you pry open the lid, Only bad things will happen. Be very careful, Kaito Kid. The Black Organization are probably after you right now."

"What?!" Aiko leaped forwards.

"Because they are aware of your existence now. They'll find you eventually, just like they found your father." Aiko couldn't believe what she was hearing. A horrible feeling began to well up in her chest, an intense fear she had never felt before. "I'd run along now if I were you." With that Ai stood up and left. Aiko did as she was told and fled the house as quickly as possible.

The rest of the weekend proved very hard to enjoy. It would be with the knowledge that probably the most terrifying organization known to man wanted you dead. Aiko didn't even feel like she could leave the house anymore. She sat in the secret room all day. Her head rested on the keyboard of the computer where her dad had spoken to her last. She had pounded the keyboard in frustration, had slammed her palm against the start button so many times it nearly broke but nothing happened. With a scream of anguish she had shook the monitor and cried:

"WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME? TURN ON DAMMIT! TALK TO ME DAD!" But the screen had remained blank as ever. The computer had fulfilled its sole purpose, to say goodbye to her once, and that was it. It wasn't ever to be turned on again. Aiko stared at her Kaito Kid outfit, hanging on a coathook, and all she felt like doing was crying. How could she carry on like this? With frustration, left the room, the sadness becoming a little to much to bear. Aiko fell to her bedroom floor and curled up like a hedgehog, hugging her knees. The tears kept pouring. To soothe herself she began to sing quietly the effects of which were only temporary, for in the end she just ended up feeling even more sad than before. Suddenly, Aiko found herself hoisted up from the floor into a pair of arms. She didn't even bother to look at who was holding her now, she just cried against their chest. It certainly wasn't a woman, so it wasn't her grandmother...Then who was it? A warm hand stroked the back of her head.

"What's wrong...?"

"I can't...I'm scared."

"You can't what?"

"I can't tell you." Aiko recognised the voice. Slowly she lifted her head, and was met by the sympathetic eyes of Conan. Her speed of her beating heart increased rapidly.

"Again?" He looked saddened. "You know there are a lot of things you haven't told me recently. Like the cause for all these wild mood swings. One minute you're all happy and you won't tell me why, the next you're a complete weeping wreck and you still won't tell me why!"

"It's something deep and dark...Family stuff." Aiko sniffed. Conan took the liberty of wiping the tears away from her eyes. "I'd like to tell you but I can't." He held her close.

"I understand..." The silence stretched on for what seemed like an eternity. Conan was so gentle and warm, Aiko almost found herself drifting off a little. She wanted to stay in his arms forever but she knew that was impossible. Aiko finally lifted her head to look at Conan again.

"How did you get in here anyway?"

"Impromptu visit, Miki-san let me in." Aiko smiled and nodded. There was a short pause. "You know, Aiko, even though I'm not really sure what happened...All I can say is keep your chin up. I get upset too when you aren't your normal very hard to shut up self." Conan teased. Aiko huffed.

"Heh, very hard to shut up now am I?"

"Yeah, Now hurry up and go back to being very hard to shut up, before I get all upset too." Aiko giggled.

"I might stay being depressed just cause I think it would be funny to see you being an emotional wreck."

"Hey you..." Conan poked her in the forehead. The two teenagers met eyes for a second. Upon eye contact both parties went bright red but still couldn't quite tear away from each others gaze. Then Aiko realised Conan's head was moving closer to hers. Closer and closer. Foreheads touching, they were only mere centimeteres away from one another. Aiko closed her eyes and waited. But Conan backed away suddenly. Aiko opened her eyes. Her grandmother was stood in the doorway, staring at the two embracing on the floor.

"Right, I just came to ask if Conan-kun...is staying for dinner." Conan shook his head and realeased Aiko from his arms as quickly as possible.

"N-no...I just dropped by to see if Aiko was ok...I'm going." Conan whizzed past her grandmother and was out the door in seconds. Aiko collapsed in a heap on the floor. If she wasn't mistaken, Conan just tried to kiss her. She clasped a hand to her mouth and let out a gasp when she realised...How disastrous it would've been if he had! If he could tell a persons profession by shaking their hand, Holmes style, then he'd have no trouble with lip recognition either...Then something hit Aiko...Did this mean he was in love with her? Aiko squealed to herself at such a thought, her stomach knotting itself. But then again she had no time to muse over Conan's feelings for her. The Black Organization wanted her dead...And she had another heist to plan. Aiko sat up, her zeal renewed. So what if they were after her? She would simply have to beat them to the crunch and bring them to their cold graves before they brought her to hers. They weren't going to stop Kaito Kid. Conan's warm words had been just the remedy for her slump. No matter what, there wasn't a single emotional affliction on her he couldn't cure. She was nowhere near giving up her days of torturing Ginzo and Sonoko...And unfortunately at the same time Conan and Shinichi. She would be embarrassed to admit it out in the open, especially to Conan, but as a very young girl (Talking ages 4-5 here) Aiko had almost had something of a crush on Shinichi. Just in the way that a 12-year old would be temporarily infatuated with a popstar or an over-romanticized fictional character. Well, it was really more of an intense admiration for his skills. Anyway, enough reminiscing about more embarrassing moments of her younger childhood, Aiko had some research for heist number 3 to be doing.


	14. Monday blues

Monday. Aiko glanced at her phone and let out a large moan of depression. She hated Mondays. But her next heist tomorrow evening was something to look forward to. Aiko had been up until about 4:00am planning her next heist on Sunday while a large pile of homework sat on her desk untouched. Aiko could probably bribe her teacher out of detention with an amusing magic trick if she was in a good mood today, which Aiko highly doubted. Monday was the low point for everyone's moods. Aiko landed on the floor with a large crash after rolling out of bed. She didn't want to have to face the wrath of the dreaded salmon.

It was still snowing. Aiko trudged lazily through the white slush, still not quite awake despite the cold. She stopped to pick up a newspaper along the way. It was always fun to read about herself. She had had the letter dispatched last evening and apparently it had arrived. _Kaito Kid strikes again._ Aiko chuckled. The journalists were resorting to such cliché headlines. Aiko wondered how her Dad used to plan things out and even her Grandfather before him. Of course, she never knew Toichi, dead before Kaito even reached the age she was when her parents were so cruely taken. Aiko wondered if perhaps she was planning her heists a little to close together. It was tiring. She couldn't even begin to look at the enormous pile of homework which was slowly accumulating on her desk alongside numerous detentions she had cleverly snaked her way out of by throwing fire crackers in the air and running away while everyone was distracted. Not to mention, she was falling asleep in class a lot more than often. If she knew Conan, he would definitely be picking up on this and adding it to his little list of abnormalities. If Conan didn't sniff her out first, Aiko was worried that Shinichi would. With double Conan's experience under his belt, it wouldn't be hard. One little slip up around him could immediately land her in hot soup. Although she wasn't sure if they were ever going to meet again or of the level of his skills, she was slightly concerned about the Osakan boy, Yuma Hattori. According to Conan, Yuma's father was Shinichi's closest friend and a very talented detective himself. A criminal in a room of detectives and detectives alone. Aiko was probably the worst person to be in the position of Kaito Kid at the moment.

Aiko, following her daily routine, regaled the class with doves, confetti and pink smoke and took her seat next to Conan. Today was going to be boring, she could tell. Her normal policy on boring days was to act as off the wall as possible to brighten everyone's day.

"Hey, Aiko. You cheered up?" Conan smiled at her. Aiko blushed, remembering how warmly he had held her.

"You bet!" She grinned and gave Conan a twin thumbs-up. "I had a very eventful weekend. Aside from the brief family trauma everything was fun. Met some new people, polished some existing friendships, ate the most delicious strawberry parfaits at cafe Poirot, soooo...yeah! It's been a good one!"

"You're pretty wired today."

"Just trying to overcome Monday blues. So how was your weekend Conan?"

"Relatively uneventful. I managed to pack in a lot of reading though. Holmes, LeBlanc..."

"That's a typical weekend for someone who's house has its own library." Aiko chuckled.

"While, it was uneventful, it was probably the best weekend of my life at the same time..." Aiko tilted her head on one side.

"Nn, Why's that?"

"Not telling." Conan grinned at her. He thought he'd get her back for all the secrecy she had been putting him through. Aiko frowned and huffed.

"Aww, Tell meee!" Before either had a chance to say anything, Aiko was approached by a rather peeved looking Akai, glaring down at her murderously.

"Good morning, Aiko." He spat. Aiko could sense his irritation, humiliation at his failure to steal her heart. Aiko was notorious for toying around with people. She slapped on a taunting smile and loudly chirped:

"Why hello there my dearest friend Akai! I trust the weekend found you well, Mine was great!" Although Akai maintained stone-faced, she could sense his seething anger within. With that she turned and plucked her newspaper from her bag, allowing the young man to get a good look at the headlines as she opened it.

"I had a rather troubled weekend actually..." Akai twisted a strand of hair on his finger. "I was wondering if I might have a little conversation with you."

"Converse away, I'm right here."

"I mean elsewhere. Alone." Aiko blinked. Conan stared.

"Why on earth would that be?"

"Just come on." Tired of waiting, Akai hooked his hand beneath Aiko's arm and wrenched hard, yanking her from her seat. With that he quickly paraded her out of the classroom, leaving Conan feeling more confused than ever. Akai went out of his way to give the two privacy, taking Aiko straight up to the roof. It disturbed her that somehow he had obtained the roof keys, not to mention he locked the door behind them. Without warning, Aiko found herself with her back pressing hard against the chain-link fence between her and falling backwards from the building, Akai so close to her, their noses nearly touched. Ice fell from the rails above, droplets of ice slid down Aiko's back, making her cry out.

"Y'know, I'm not gonna lie to you here Akai, I'm a little uncomfortable."

"Shut up. I know who you are."

"What? Of course you do! I'm Aiko Kuroba!" Akai roughly slipped his hand beneath her chin and jerked her head upright to make sure that they never lost eye contact. Aiko felt a shiver go down her spine when she realised Akai's iris's were turning from dark brown to blood red.

"Will you cut the crap!?" He hissed. "You drive me insane."

"I really don't know what you're talking about!" Aiko protested, attempting to manouver her way from the corner he had backed her into with no success, Akai's strong arms blocking the way.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about Kuroba...Or should I say Kaito Kid." Aiko continued to feign ignorance. The worst thing she could do was start panicking.

"Kaito Kid? What gave you the impression I'm Kaito Kid? What are you basing this on?" Aiko was really beginning to regret teasing him earlier. "Please, let go of me. It hurts!" Akai himself hadn't quite realised he was gripping both her wrists with white-knuckle force. He loosened his grip slightly but didn't let go. He leant in close to Aiko's ear, causing the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end.

"Well, If you are Kid then I'd like to inform you of something. Tonight at the Yotsuba Jewellery Gallery at Beika Plaza, the one that just recently shipped in a necklace worth millions, you'll be confronted with a new enemy. A particularly sharp one. Be careful."

"Why are you telling me this?" Aiko whimpered. He smiled at her maliciously, Before whispering:

"I'm not going to let the police arrest you before I steal your heart." Aiko remained speechless as Akai released her from his clutches and walked away without another word. Aiko rubbed the bruise marks he had left on her wrists. Was it just her or was he unbelievably creepy?

Conan looked overwhelmingly relieved when she returned to the classroom. He looked as if he had expected her never to come back.

"What was that all about?" Conan asked as Aiko took her seat. Aiko shrugged.

"It's not important." Aiko flapped a hand. "He just needed to chat with me about something." Conan scanned Aiko's body language to see if anything was wrong. Nope. Either she was a fantastic actor or nothing had happened. He breathed a sigh of relief. That left love confessions out of the mix. Then again, when he asked (Or rather dragged) her to the roof he didn't exactly sound like his intentions were friendly. Aiko stared at the headlines of her newspaper. Conan couldn't help but peer over her shoulder when he noticed the words "Kaito Kid" in the headlines. Aiko smiled at him.

"I assume you'll be there, Right great detective?"

"You bet..." Conan didn't sound very enthusiastic. "On the other hand..."

"Don't quit!" Aiko blurted without thinking, grasping Conan's hands in hers. Her Kaito Kid side was telling her to bombard Conan with subtle hints hidden in innocent comments to knock his esteem down far enough to push him from the force, while Aiko Kuroba was saying "Encourage him! Make sure he doesn't leave no matter what!". Aiko chose to follow her own heart, not Kaito Kids.

"I'm begging you! You can be sure I'll be there when you unmask her!" Conan smiled.

"What if I said I didn't want to unmask her anymore?" This took Aiko completely by surprise. She froze, not quite sure how to reply to that. Conan laughed nervously. "No, no, Of course I'll unmask her but...There's something about her which disturbs me. It's almost like...I want to see her face more than anyone else's in the word yet at the same time I don't." Aiko blinked.

"Could it be that you're falling in love with her?" She asked innocently. Conan went bright red.

"NO! NO WAY! Besides, that would be ultimate betrayal to everyone around me wouldn't it."

"I guess..." Aiko turned back to her newspaper. She knew exactly where Conan's feelings were coming from. He was picking up on it. What disturbed him so what how much like his best friend. Aiko knew the reason he didn't want to unmask her. He was afraid that she really was Kaito Kid.

The Yotsuba Jewellery gallery was an interesting one. A sleek modern building, plastered with security camera's and a large neon four-leafed clover stuck to its glass facade. Through internet research, Aiko found that this gallery had in fact seen a Kaito Kid robbery before. Aiko had chuckled to herself at that. Well done, Dad. Aiko stood atop an adjacent building, her fathers binoculars in her hands, humming Puzzle by Mai Kuraki to herself as she surveyed the area.

"Okaaay..." Aiko stared down into the crowd. "Security guards...posted there, there and...there..." She flicked a button which switched them to heat seaking mode. "In the building...There, there and there and there...." She lowered them. "And the necklace is on the top floor. This oughta be fun..." Aiko giggled and she slid the metal card gun slowly from her skirt pocket. "Distraction time!" She fired three times. Three individual cards flew into the crowd. Three, two, one. The crowd was in an uproar at the crowds. That meant she was about to arrive. With a puff of smoke, Aiko appeared atop the Yotsuba Jewellery Gallery, cape fluttering in the wind. The crowd went wild. She raised her hands to the sky.

"Ladies and gentlemen!".


	15. Bookmark

Kaito Kid surveyed her surroundings. She knew security guards were posted at every one of the some hundred doors in the building, including the toilets. Sonoko and Ginzo would be on the top floor. Although, surprisingly, the Yotsuba Jewellery Gallery had no connection to the Suzuki company, Sonoko was simply tagging along for the publicity. Aiko found Ginzo and Sonoko were like the comedy-cop duo who never seemed to be able to get anything right. Sonoko, the egotistical heiress, who'd done nothing all her life but allow her parents connections to ferry her into a pleasant future and Ginzo, the old man who had been chasing the same thief since he was 20. Exact opposites, save for their single minded determination and "Lets just fill the building with security guards and hope for the best" approach to catching Kid. Perfect comic duo. Now...About getting into the building. Just going in through the window again would be boring. Aiko absent-mindedly pressed the trigger for the fireworks she had rigged earlier just to give the crowd something pretty to look at while she pondered. Ah, of course. Time for her to bust out the Kaito classic. The earlier-acquired police radio in Aiko's hand crackled into life.

"This is Ginzo Nakamori, Kid is on the roof!" She proclaimed boldy into the radio.

"Roger that." Came a fuzzy reply. Aiko smirked and tossed the radio to the ground at her feet.

"Now we play the waiting game." To Aiko's utter shock, the radio buzzed into life again.

"Nice try Kid." Came a smug voice. "Don't think you can pull that one again. I called all of the police off. We can wait all night for you." Aiko threw her head back in frustration and groaned. Damned Shinichi, what a pest he was at the heist scene. Well, time for plan B. Aiko had found something which at first she had thought was a little retro for Kaito Kid, but all the while she had been dying to try them out. Jet-powered roller skates. A function of her seemingly normal shoes which she had yet to activate. With a press of a concealed button, Wheels emerged from her seemingly normal shoes. Aiko allowed them to charge briefly before ploughing towards the edge at full speed, and then flipping into a full speed decent down the facade of the building. This was just like vertical ice-skating. As Aiko always loved to give the crowd her best, she swerved to the side and pulled a series of manoeuvres and jumps, all the while completely vertical on the glass. The crowd went wild when they realised she had drawn her trademark signature on the building in tire tracks.

"Damn that Kid!" Ginzo slammed his palms against the glass of the top floor window.

"And Ran calls me a showoff!" Sonoko scoffed. The guards inside the building watched speechless. When Aiko had finished performing for the crowd, the turned the power on her skates up dramatically as she prepared to make her accent to the top floor. Zooming up like a rocket, Aiko drew her card gun and fired into the sky, the metal sheet scathing the top floor window and sticking itself in the glass which slowly began to crack. Ginzo shot back to avoid falling when the glass fell away. As Aiko approached the top window, she deactivated her skates and leaped the rest of the distance, grabbing the ledge and throwing herself into the gallery. She stood slowly in the cracked window frame.

"Hello, You're looking particularly dashing this evening, Inspector Nakamori." Aiko smiled in an almost sinister manner. She extended a hand teasingly. "The Necklace please?"

"You've got gall Kid, I will with give you that." Sonoko spat. "Coming up here in the face of the great Sonoko-sama!" She pointed a finger. "Get her!" Aiko internally facepalmed. The woman who just addressed herself as the great Sonoko-sama a second ago was fitting the classical antagonist role, the one who sits atop their throne and simply sets their minions on the hero. The Kid task force dived. Perfect. A white flash bomb. Kid was gone and the task force were ignorant of the extra police officer they seemed to have picked up.

"She left without the necklace!" Sonoko stared. Well, that was what she thought. When she turned around it was gone.

Aiko cackled to herself as she ran the large marble corridors. Was it just her or were the heists getting easier. Then again, only yesterday morning had Akai mentioned a new enemy. Who could this be? Co-incidentally enough, Aiko was stopped mid-stride by a strict yet calm voice from behind her.

"How did you come to this, Kid?" Aiko stopped mid-stride and turned to be met by a tall girl, blonde hair cut into a short boyish style, stood defiantly with her hands in the pockets of her full-on Sherlock regalia. To Aiko she looked like another nerd who simply strayed a little too far from the mystery novel lovers convention. The girl pushed her flapped her upwards to allow Aiko a better look at her face.

"Well?" The girl asked again. Aiko smiled and turned, ripping away the disguise in the process.

"How did you find me out?"

"It's simple." The girl produced a golden Alice in Wonderland rabbit style pocket watch on a chain from her pocket. "All 43 members of the task force, including Ginzo Nakamori and Sonoko Suzuki, but with the exception of Hiro Minami who is currently infected with a 24 hour virus and Shinichi and Conan Kudo who are currently searching the building for you, are still on the top floor. The gems disappearance was noticed exactly 5.2 seconds after you made your apparent escape by which time you would already of left the room. Time taken to assemble task force to split up in different directions would probably take 2-3 minutes. Your speed says that it would take you exactly a minute to reach this point in the building, therefore..." The girl smiled. "...You are Kid. My fathers pocket watch fails by 0.003 seconds per year." This girl practically screamed obsessive-compulsive. Aiko assumed her father must be a clockmaker or some other clock-related proffesion.

"A perfectionist. I like that." Aiko chuckled. "...I don't believe I've seen you around before."

"Hakuba Shiori of London."

_Bookmark...What a perfect name _Aiko sniggered inwardly

"I believe our fathers had a run-in in the past." Hakuba commented. _Huh? _Aiko suddenly felt slightly panic-stricken. "Am I wrong in assuming that the position of Kaito Kid is something of a family inheritance?" _Phew. _"Seeing as the previous two Kid's were male, I'd say its been going since your grandfathers time. The second kid was described was confirmed as high school age. For him to remain that age for so long would be impossible unless we were dealing with a Dorian Grey Kid here. My conclusion is that there have been two kids before you and you are carrying on your fathers or perhaps just close friend or lovers tradition. Am I wrong?" Aiko chuckled.

"You are quite sharp girl."

"5 minutes."

"Hm?"

"Long enough for a task force member to reach our current location."

"THERE SHE IS! GET HER!" The task foce were indeed at the end of the corridor, charging towards her and Hakuba. Aiko cursed. Damn, all this conversation had simply been to stall her. Aiko discarded her disguise and flew off down the corridor at lightning speed, activating her skates in the process. The task force pursued her in vain as she grinded railings of stairs, cleared corridors in seconds and knocked everyone standing nearby off their feet. Upon looking back she noticed Hakuba was leading the crowd, although she seemed to leaving the task force in the dust as she was clearly a lot faster than the rest of them. Then came the biggest surprise. Akai hadn't been refering to only one enemy. A woman stepped clean into Kids path at risk of being flattened completely, a gun in hand screaming "Police! Freeze!" To avoid running the woman over Aiko came skidding to a halt, front flipped straight over the womans head and flipped again to avoid being caught on one of her bullets. The woman stood above her defiantly, the pistol pointing directly at Aiko's forehead.

"Officer Yoshida, the chances of you being killed just then were almost 70.5% percent!" Hakuba informed the officer. The woman took this in her stride, brushing a lock of hair out of her eyes, still keeping Aiko pinned to the floor. This wasn't good, she needed to escape. A rather large man stepped from a door behind the young officer, looking slightly breathless.

"Ayumi, What did you do that for?!" He blared. "You almost got yourself killed!" The woman who's name was apparently Ayumi turned and smiled.

"They don't call me Ayumi the Indestructible for nothing, Genta." She winked. "Now, Kid. I am placing you under arrest, you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can be given as evidence against you in court." Kid had suddenly become very irresponsive and still. Ayumi titled her head on one side. Then suddenly Kid exploded, shocking the whole task force. Hakuba stood with a pin in hand.

"Blow up dummy."

"Drat!" Ayumi cursed.

Aiko fumbled with her Kid outfit, quickly shoving it along with the necklace into her Grandmother's car. She'd been fortunate enough not to run into Conan or Shinichi tonight, but that Hakuba girl was something else. And the police officer who had so boldly stepping in front of her when she was going about 90 miles and hour...She wished Akai hadn't given her quite such a vague warning. Out of the corner of her eye, Aiko noticed a black Porsche parked in a near by alleyway. She stared for a minute. Something wasn't quite right about that car somehow. Brushing off what she assumed to be a random moment of paranoia, Aiko climbed into the car and woke her grandmother who was sleeping in the drivers seat and with that they set off home. Brushing long silver hair from his face, the man clad entirely in black reached for his car radio.

"Beggining pursuit of Kid." He placed the radio down. "Drive! Now!" He commanded the heavy-set man in the drivers seat.

"Right, aniki."


	16. High speed pursuit

Aiko knew there was something wrong with that little black Porsche. She had assumed it to be empty but now she was in fact being followed, or so it appeared. Slowly, the car trailed behind her grandmothers. Aiko's mind was suddenly filled with terrifying notions. Perhaps they were police on a stakeout and they had been waiting for her to return because someone had placed her under suspicion...Or worse. They were the Black Organization. It was a fitting car. Black and practical. It wasn't an amazingly flashy sports car beaded with blue LEDs. No, it was just a car for driving. Not for showing off. The kind the bad guys in Lupin III would drive. Or any bad guys for that matter. Aiko peered over her shoulder again. No, they were definitely being tailed.

"Oba-san, Could we pick up the pace a little?" Aiko urged her grandmother nervously.

"The speed limit is there for a reason, sweety."

"No but we're being followed!" Her grandmother simply laughed.

"You used to say that all the time as a girl, Your father thought it was hilarious how you seemed to think every car was following us."

"No, I'm serious this time!" Aiko was beginning to panic. "There's been a black car tailing us ever since we set off!"

"Black you say?" Her grandmother was slowly comprehending. "Is it the police?"

"It's just a hunch but...I think it could be worse. Make a left here."

"But home is the other wa--"

"Just do it!" Aiko commanded firmly. Her grandmother did as she was told. Indeed the car followed them to the left.

"See?" Aiko flapped her hand at the car in behind like a young child trying to point out a woodland animal to their parents. "It's following us!"

"This road leads to central Beika, a lot of people go there!" The old womans tone became impatient.

"Make a right here!" Aiko called. The turning approached so fast her grandmother was forced to make a very violent turn.

"Shit!" Gin cried. In turning, their car scraped the pavement, denting on a street lamp and almost hitting two pedestrians.

"They definitely are following us!" Aiko cried. "Did you see that? Speed up!" Past questioning, the old woman slammed her foot on the acceleration and sped down the street as quickly as possible. Surely enough, the black porche picked up speed immediately. Aiko unfastened her seat belt and turned to see the car behind was picking up speed. When she heard the tires screeching against the gravel, she recoiled in horror as she realised their intent. Before she had a chance to warn her grandmother, the black Porsche slammed straight into the rear bumper of the car, sending Aiko flying backwards, her back colliding with the front seats. Aiko cried out in pain, clambering upright. The car was backing up, they were going to ram them again.

"Oba-san!" Aiko turned. Her grandmothers head lolled forwards, her hands still gripping the wheel loosely. "Oba-san!" Aiko screamed, shaking the womans shoulder. Out cold. And the car was still speeding forwards straight towards a building. Aiko's system almost completely overloaded. They were being chased and rammed from behind and her grandmother had just passed out. Aiko should've seen it. She was getting old. This wasn't the kind of danger that her frail heart needed. Another ram. Aiko was flung forwards, now upside down in the front seat. The building was approaching fast, the car swerving. Aiko scrambled onto her knee's and leaned over her grandmother, slamming her hands on the wheel and tugging in violently to the right. The car mounted the kerb with a screech, scraping walls as Aiko desperately attempted to get the car back onto the road. The Porsche curved and slammed into the side of the car. Aiko screamed as the left window smashed, shattering glass onto her bare legs. Aiko ignored the pain and heaved her grandmother to the side and through the gap in-between the two front seats to relative safety in the back and taking her place at the wheel. Aiko looked around and began screaming to herself when she realised she didn't know the first thing about driving a car. Where's Conan when you need him? Conan always used to boast to her about all the time he spent on the Kudo private island in Hawaii where he learnt to drive boats, planes and cars. She composed herself. It couldn't be that hard, could it? Aiko heard a large crunch, the Porsche pressing harder and harder into the car, squashing it against the building. Aiko stamped on the acceleration and miraculously managed to free herself from the sandwich the Porsche had locked her in, regaining a place on the road. The Porsche scraped the buildings momentarily but quickly followed her onto the road. Aiko's heart was pounding so fast she thought it would stop altogether eventually. She was smack in the middle of a typical film car chase. Her hands quivered as she gripped the wheel. Being born the daughter of Kaito Kuroba had certain advantages, unwavering bravery being one. If she hadn't got the stomach she probably would've passed out like her grandmother and the car would've crashed. Aiko heard police sirens wailing in the background.

The tall woman clasped her police radio at the wheel of her sleek red car.

"This is Officer Yoshida and Officer Kojima. Requesting immediate backup for a high speed chase heading towards Central Beika. Subjects are a black Porsche 356A and a battered dark green Mini Cooper. Black Porsche is attempting to run the Mini off the road." Ayumi spoke calmly into the radio. Genta was clutching his stomach.

"Your driving always makes me queasy." The large man complained. Ayumi glanced at him.

"Well, Maybe the seven bento boxes of eels over rice you ate before the Kid heist might have something to do with it." She grinned as she shifted gears. "Mitsuhiko doesn't know what he's missing out on!"

"Well you know him..." Genta groaned through his stomach pain. "He was always the science loving one. Not to mention he's hopeless with a gun and he can't drive either."

"Says you." Ayumi sniggered. "If my driving makes you so sick, pass the test and get your own car!"

Aiko cleared another corner. She wasn't even sure what part of town she was in anymore. The Porsche was still hot on her trail like a hound. Aiko began to weep the hopelessness of the situation crashing down around her. A 17-year old girl who knew nothing about driving with her unconscious grandma in the back against the Black Organization who were like Terminators. They didn't stop until you were dead or they were dead. Then Aiko heard a motorbike approaching on the rear. A small crimson suzuki caught up to the car and began driving parallel to the swerving car. Aiko risked glances occasionally while keeping her hands on the wheel. The driver flicked up her visor.

"Haibara-san!" Aiko called. Haibara signalled for her to wind the window down.

"YOU HAVE TO DESTROY THIS CAR!" Ai called. "DRIVE CLOSER TO ME!" Aiko turned the wheel gently. She didn't want to ram Ai off her bike.

Gins cold emotionless eyes widened at the strawberry blonde haired woman driving beside the car. A grin stretched across his face.

"Perfect...We can kill two birds with one stone."

Ai reached across and realised the door, moving back to avoid being hit by it.

"PASS YOUR GRANDMOTHER HERE!" She called. Aiko checked to road ahead. It was times like this when that Hakuba girl's presicion might have been useful. Whether this road was long enough for Aiko to unload her grandmother without crashing was questionable. Ai couldn't very well get off her bike. Aiko released the wheel and leaped into the back seat, throwing open the back door. Ai reached out as Aiko tried her hardest to move the womans unconscious body out far enough. Ai's bike suddenly swerved. In one swift moment, Ai took hold of her grandmother and tugged her from the car, swinging her over the back. Aiko breathed a sigh of relief. Something about Ai's expression told she was used to things like this. Quickly, Aiko vaulted the seats to the wheel just in time to turn another corner.

"NOW YOU!" Aiko released the wheel and crawled forwards, Kaito Kid hat wrapped in her black cloak along with the rest of her outfit and the necklace. Aiko reached, her fingertips brushing Ai's. So close, so far. The car was hurtling towards another building. Closer and closer and closer. Aiko grasped Ai's hand. With a tug, Aiko was free of the car and thrust onto Ai's lap. The car collided with the building full speed, an explosion bursting into life, flames lashing outwards like a raging orange ocean. Ai, Aiko and her grandmother ,all more or less safe and sound, sailed off around the corner. The Porsche skidded to a halt along with Ayumi's sports car some distance away. Gin cursed and slammed his palm, his perfectly aligned white teeth gritting in frustration. Vodka cautiously leaned forwards.

"Aniki, We should..." Gin looked up through the locks of silver hair, his twisted frustration turning into twisted delight. He chuckled.

"That person won't miss this car. It's only the backup Porsche anyway." Vodka grinned at his partner.

"You do the honours." Calmly, the two stepped out of the car. Ayumi and Genta were rushing towards them, guns extended.

"Police! Put your hands in the air!" Gin smiled and flicked the detonator in his pocket. Casually, the two walked away from the Porsche as it blew into pieces, joining Aiko's family car. By the time Ayumi lowered her arm which she had been using as a shield from the explosion, the men in black had gone.

Aiko climbed shakily off the bike outside her home. As she stood, her knees gave way sending her down to the harsh gravell. Ai stood to help her.

"You're lucky I was there tonight or you wouldn't be alive right now." Ai posed with her hands of her hips. Aiko let out a shaky breath and nodded, a weak smile forming on her lips. "You have to be more careful." With that, the blonde haired woman swung her leg over the bike and

drove off into the distance. Aiko stood wearily and dragged her grandmother indoors.


	17. Dark of the night

Aiko called the doctor. Her grandmother was apparently fine and had just experienced a small shock but they were keeping her at the hospital overnight so Aiko was alone. All she could do was sit, set in place like a statue, hugging her knees in fear. They knew who she was, they tried to kill her and her grandmother. She realised how lucky she was to have survived. Aiko pulled her Doraemon pillow into her embrace and began to rock backwards and forwards with it clasped to her chest. It was all over she had to reassure herself, but she was still in a state of shock. This was hard but she wasn't going to allow herself to be beaten. She needed to stand on her own two feet and continue being Kid. For her parents sake. After a while, the phone rang. With quivering hands, Aiko answered.

"Aiko Kuroba spe--"

"AIKO!" It was Conan sounding absolutely hysterical. "ARE YOU OKAY?!"

"Huh?"

"DON'T "HUH?" ME! I HEARD SOMEONE TRIED TO RAM YOUR CAR OFF THE ROAD!"

"Lower your voice please..." Aiko laughed.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry...When I heard the news I nearly had a heart attack! Are you okay? Is Miki-san? Are you injured? Where are you?"

"I'm home, safe and sound, don't worry..."

"Don't sound so casual!" Conan's voice became shaky. "You were almost killed! I...I would...If I ever lost you..I..."

"C-conan...?" Aiko felt tears running down her cheeks. She didn't know why.

"Aiko...I..."

Silence.

"I...lo..." Aiko froze.

"I...I'm just glad you're safe."

"I'm scared!" Aiko allowed the tears to flow fully. "There are people after me! Some-ones trying to kill me!" She wept.

"Aiko, don't tell me...This is what this has been about the whole time? You kept it from me that there were people after you!?"

"No, no...That's only small part of it...There's so much you don't know...But I can't tell you..."

"Aiko, I'm worried for your safety here! I don't want to hear that you can't tell me! Nothing matters to me more than you!" Conan cursed in his head. Him and his big mouth.

"Conan...Is there something you want to tell me?" Aiko breathed. Conan went silent

"Eh...I...Uh...Just a minute, Dad! I'm on the phone! Sorry Aiko, I've got to go, Dad needs me for something! Bye!" With a short click, the phone went dead. Conan cursed out loud and buried his head in his hands. He clenched his teeth.

"Why...Why can't I just tell her!?" He cried. Ran stood in the doorway, staring at her son.

"Did you have a fight...?" She inquired, slowly approaching. Cautiously, Ran sat beside the boy and snaked an arm around his shoulder. "Do you want to talk...?" Conan glanced at his mother past his hands. Being a normal teenage boy, of course he wasn't comfortable with discussing his feelings with his mother and she knew that but Ran always asked anyway. She hated seeing people in this manner. She was a good listener, a very sympathetic ear. People always went to her first if they needed cheering up. Conan shook his head. His mother simply smiled and pulled him into an embrace. All of a sudden, Shinichi appeared at the door, looking a mix between shock and excitement.

"Do you know who tried to run Aiko and her grandmother off the road?"

"Who?"

"A Black Porsche 356A" Ran gasped, all the color draining from her face. She stood and approached her husband, leaning in close to him as if to block Conan from the conversation.

"D-d...do you think it was..._them_?"

"No doubt."

"But why?!" Ran cried. "What do Aiko or Miki have to do with _them_!?"

"I'm not entirely sure...But I think it could link into Kaito and Aoko's deaths...Perhaps they were involved."

"Kaito and Aoko? It doesn't seem...!"

"Yes, it does. My guess is that Kaito and Aoko were killed eight years ago by _them_ and they missed Aiko, now they want to finish the job."

"Now that you mention it..." Ran cast her eyes to the floor and blinked several times. Conan stood, his head spinning.

"What are you on about? Who are _them_?" Shinichi shook his head.

"Not information you need to know right now...". Conan stood and watched his worried looking parents leave the room, his head in a complete twist, no comprehension of the mystery that revolved around him.

Ai slumped down onto her bed. Seeing as she was a much older woman now and needed her privacy, she now had moved into her own room, leaving the Hakase a whole room to himself. Ai slipped her pajama top over her head and crawled beneath the sheets. What she had done today had been daring. There was a good chance Gin or Vodka had seen her face. But Ai was sick of watching innocent people die all around her at their hands, not to mention the two innocents she had saved had been a teenager and an old woman. Ai wondered if Kaito Kid would ever fly again or if the shock had just been to much. How was it possible for human beings to be so cold? As she slowly began to drift, disturbing images creeped into her dozing mind.

_His hands trailed down the smooth pale skin of her bare back and rested on her hips as he lay atop her, lips pressed against the nape of her neck. Shiho felt the locks of silver hair brush her back, his hot heavy breath in her ear as he whispered:_

"_You and me are alike Sherry." He buried his head in her shoulder and began to run kisses along the side of her neck. "Black." He hissed. Shiho shivered as Gin began to move down, placing soft kisses slowly down her spine. His strong hands clenched hers as their fingers intertwined. "Born into this world of darkness, everything around us has always been black...black..." He returned to her ear, sliding up her back in one slow rhythmic movement like a snake, and bit it gently. "...black." _

Ai woke with a start, drenched with sweat. That again. A horrible nightmare. A scarring memory. Every single night, that same horrible memory that hounded her like a paparazzi. Ai shook her head, pounding it with her fists. Go away! It made her feel sick to her stomach when she thought of that man, the cold emotionless killer with flowing silver hair. Emotionless...She hadn't seen it...He didn't care for people...He exploited her. Stupid empty words he filled her head with, he made her believe he cared when all he was doing was acting out of lust, out of his own desires. Ai hated herself for falling for it. Maybe she was young at the time but...She still found it inexcusable. The thought of him touching her body like that, so close, so intimate, made her shiver. As much as she hated to admit it, that memory was never going to leave her. It was branded onto her mind with hot iron. Permanent.

Aiko had never felt quite so alone in her life. With her grandmother in hospital, the reality of being an orphan suddenly crashed down around her. If her mother and father were still alive, they would've been here immediately. She could've cried on her mothers shoulder. Though some people don't realise it, that shoulder is a lot more important than you'd think. Coping becomes a whole lot harder in it's absence. Then she heard a clatter. Lifting her head from her Doraemon pillow, she saw a face at the window. Conan. He pounded the window desperately. Aiko crawled forwards and helped him in. Conan flopped through the open window and sprawled out onto her bed beside her, smiling.

"Door was locked...No-one answer..." He panted.

"Conan, What on earth are you doing ,appearing at my window like that?!" Aiko stared at her friend, lying with his limbs outstretched on her bed, clearly out of breath.

"I couldn't get you out of my head." Conan breathed. Suddenly, he sat upright, clasping Aiko's shoulder.

"Why didn't you say your grandmother was in hospital? I would've come sooner!"

"I didn't want to burden you...You've already provided me enough comfort before!"

"And that doesn't mean I can't give it to you again. Don't keep your emotions to yourself." Conan swung a rather heavy backpack off his shoulder. "I'm staying over. Mum and Dad said it was okay so consider me your personal bodyguard for the night!" Aiko blinked a couple of times. That last comment had just passed straight through her head, in one ear and out the other.

"HUH?"

"I'm going to protect you for the evening!" Conan smiled broadly at her. "Never fear milady!"

"B-b-but!" Aiko stammered. "You're a boy!" Conan raised an eyebrow at her.

"...Yes, Well done."

"A-and I'm a girl!"

"2 points so far."

"And there's no-one else in the house!" Conan stared at her for a second before bursting into fits of laughter. Aiko suddenly felt very stupid.

"You are too much Aiko! Do you think I'm gonna come to your house when you're an emotional wreck and try and take advantage of you like that? I'd officially be the lowest being in the world if I did that to you." Aiko smiled. Yet again she felt Conan taking the weight off her shoulders. Conan grinned.

"C'mon, I'll make us some tea."


	18. Warmth

Aiko carefully sipped the florescant green liquid in her cup, as not to burn her tongue.

"Is it good?" Conan asked.

"It's delicious. It warms me up inside." Aiko smiled at him, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Conan smiled back.

"That's a first..."

"Hm?" Aiko set down her green tea on her bedside table.

"I remember I tried making green tea once when we were both about 7. It was disgusting." Aiko giggled at this memory.

"That's because you dumped a whole packet of tea leaves in lukewarm water!" Aiko laughed. Conan sipped his own green tea and smiled.

"My mum's a fantastic cook but I guess I didn't inherit her skills...." Conan chuckled. "Everyone says I look just like dad...But when I start to talk it's surprising how much like mum I am...They say I follow her speech pattern perfectly...But I seem to have inherited dad's hobbies..." Aiko grinned.

"I'm all dad! People say I'm a clone of him...Only female! It's a little annoying..." She took a gulp of tea at risk of scalding her tongue but luckily it had cooled down.

"Well, Forgive me for saying so, But it true." Aiko huffed.

"Geez..."

"Sorry, sorry." Conan laughed. "Not that I really remember much about Kaito-san but...What I do remember is just like you. I used to like it when he'd do tricks whenever you came to visit..."

"Like the one where he'd pull a 1000 yen note out of your ear and hand it to you?"

"It's a pretty bogstandard trick but it amazed me every time...Plus I got to keep the money..." Conan stared down at his reflection in the cup of tea for a moment before leaning and setting it on the floor.

"Say, Aiko...?"

"Yup?"

"Um...I really don't want to pry but..._Them_...Does that mean anything to you?"

"Who?"

"Oh, It's just when dad heard that it was a Porsche that tried to run you off the road he and mum started whispering about _them._" Aiko silently gasped. Of course! Her dad had explained everything in his...something of a dying message. Shinichi and Haibara being shrunk to being children...And the Black Organization. This was bad. If Shinichi knew that she was somehow connected to the Organization ,it would only give him more puzzle pieces in the intricate jigsaw that would eventually lead to the one behind the monocle and hat...Her. Aiko downed the rest of her tea before going to the teapot for a refill.

"Umm...I'm not entirely sure...The term hasn't really come up before." She sipped her tea nervously. Conan nodded.

"Hmm...Aiko, Will you come to school on Monday?"

"Of course!" Aiko was a little taken aback.

"And you'll promise me not to keep your emotions to yourself anymore? If you feel like crying, then cry. I'm always here. If you don't I'm worried that eventually the smile will fade from your face...And I'd never be able to live with that."

"Conan..." Aiko felt a warm tingling sensation within her. Suddenly, he began to lean closer to her. Moving closer and closer. Aiko began to fluster. "He-hey!" She stammered, but he moved in closer still. Clenching her eyes shut, Aiko waited. To her surprise, Conan simply placed a hand on her head and buried his nose in her hair, taking a short sniff. He pulled back.

"When was the last time you had a bath?" Aiko blushed, a little embarrassed, putting her hands on in her hair instinctively.

"Oi oi!" Aiko stammered.

"You smell, frankly."

"Thanks..." Aiko crossed her arms. Then suddenly her eyes widened. "AH-HA!" Conan jumped.

"What? What?"

"You are a pervert after all! I knew it! You did well Conan but I've seen right through your trap, You're trying to make me think I smell so I'll go take a shower and then you'll peek at me, am I right?" Conan's head momentarily transformed into a beetroot.

"WHAT!? NO! I have no interest in peeking at women, especially you!" Aiko raised an eyebrow.

"Why just me then?!"

"Because you're my oldest and dearest friend!"

"How meeean! Am I not pretty enough for you...?" Aiko buried her nose in the blanket around her shoulders and stared up at him with wide, glistening eyes.

"A-A-Aiko, I didn't mean--!" Conan flapped his arms frantically. Slowly Aiko's mask began to slip. She snorted and then burst out laughing, a finger extended.

"Sorry Conan!" She cackled "You're just too fun to tease!" Conan glared at her, red-faced and muttering under his breath in irritation. Aiko hopped off the bed and smiled.

"I trust you not to peek." Aiko giggled before trotting off down the corridor. Conan sat for a minute. Ok, this was a little awkward. Stuck in the bedroom of the girl he was in love with...alone. He stood and wandered over to the infamous stack of manga that Aiko had now decided it was best to keep in the corner and took one from the top of the pile. Yaiba. Conan was surprised. He hadn't seen this series since he was a kid. Aiko would always sing the theme tune loudly whenever they watched it together, much to whoevers parents happened to be at the scene's irritation.

"Yuuki ga areba dekiru hazu, Yume to iu na no tatakau nuite, Yuuki ga areba wakaru hazu, ai o shinjiru koto o!" Aiko half sang, half mumbled while rinsing the conditioner out of her hair. She sunk deeper into the hot water until all was submerged but her head. It was nice to finally unwind. So much had happened recently she hadn't had a chance to do so. There was so much to think about...The Organization, keeping Kid's identity hidden, Akai Koizumi who was apparent some sort of supernatural being (That she still couldn't quite get her head around), The girl dressed like Sherlock with an obsession with exact seconds, Ai Haibara and her links into the Black Organization...How she wished Ai Haibara could've given her some useful information instead of telling her that her life was in danger. She was thankful though, If it weren't for Haibara, she wouldn't be enjoying this piping hot bath right now. Once again this evening she had considered quitting being Kaito Kid, but she just couldn't run away from her problems. She might as well spit on her parents graves if she was going to do that. Aiko was sure her father must have been a rather regular acquaintance of death. No. She wasn't going to run away. She was going to continue, even in the face of death until the Organization crumbled. She wondered what exactly their objective was. Surely the Pandora Gem wasn't worth this much bloodshed...But then you never know, there's always a couple of psycho's willing to push it that little bit further. Aiko leant forwards and tugged the plug from the bath, allowing the water to drain while she climbed out dried off.

By the time Aiko had returned, Conan had seemingly become quite hooked on Yaiba. She giggled at the sight of someone who usually has his head buried in wordy detective fiction reading a kid's manga. He glanced up Aiko, who was now clad in a baggy black t-shirt and shorts, a towel draped around her neck. Conan smiled.

"That's much better. I can't smell you from over here" Aiko slipped the wet towel from around her neck and hurled it in Conan's direction which he found hilarious and simply tossed it back, hitting Aiko on the forehead.

"Oh, Aiko, I didn't tell you about it earlier cause I was so caught up with all that's happened but did you know about the new student?"

"New student? No, why would I?"

"Shinichi told me. I think you know her actually." Aiko tilted her head on one side. That was odd. She was sure she would've heard about it from whoever it was if they were moving to her school.

"I can't think of who that would be..." Aiko puzzled.

"Oh, well she's the daughter of a Police Commissioner from England called...Saguru something...I forget. He went to school with Kaito-san and Aoko-san. Him and Dad are very good friends too...Say, It's kinda late. Do you want to go to bed?" Aiko nodded and yawned, running her hand through her damp hair.

"Well, I can't wait to meet Commissioner Saguru's daughter..." Aiko mumbled wearily. "...Where are you gonna sleep...?" Conan blinked.

"On the sofa I guess..." Aiko suddenly felt her stomach turn. Conan rose from the bed and smiled.

"Good night." Aiko couldn't describe the strange feeling in her chest. She was...scared. She didn't want to be alone...But why? Being alone had never bothered her before. If anything, she quite enjoyed it. Conan was making his way towards the door. Aiko lunged, gripping his sleeve. He turned back to her and stared.

"Don't go!" Aiko whimpered. She wasn't sure what part of her had given this command. It wasn't Aiko Kuroba or Kid. Just something had made her cry out. Conan's face flushed slightly. "Stay here with me...Please..."

"Where do you suggest I sleep then...?"

"In my bed...With me..." Conan stared for a while, his pupils dilating slightly, and then pinched himself to make sure that this wasn't a dream. Aiko tightened her grip on his sleeve and gave a slight tug. With a nervous gulp, Conan sat back down on the sheets. He couldn't leave her when she was in such a state. Aiko then did something else she didn't give any command for. She leapt forwards, straight into Conan's embrace, burying her head deep in his chest. Shocked at herself, her first instinct was to pull away but then she really began to feel safer, less afraid, so she only buried her head deeper. Conan let out a silent "Yeep!" and held his hands as far away as possible. It seemed to him someone was hell bent on breaking his self control, which luckily forged of steel. Nervously, he placed his arms around her in return. Aiko tugged at Conan lightly, bringing him down onto the sheets and tugged the duvet over them both. Snuggling up to Conan like a stuffed animal, Aiko slowly and quietly drifted off. Conan smiled at her sleeping face and leant carefully over her to turn off her bedside light before dozing off himself.


	19. The Bookmark Returns

Confident bold brisk strides, polished black school shoes, freshly dry cleaned uniform, the blonde girl leant and picked up her brand new brown satchel, as fresh and new as the morning, prepared for what might be in store for her today.

"Mother, Father. I'm off now!" She called. The blonde English man stood from his armchair, setting down todays newspaper and approached his daughter. He surveyed her, standing in the doorway, as straight as a solider, and brushed some dust of her shoulder and then proceeded to straighten her tie much to the teenagers chagrin.

"Be polite." He said simply. "Do you have your watch?" The girl smiled smugly and tugged the golden pocket watch from her pocket.

"Do you really thing I'd forget it?" Behind the man, appeared a woman. She placed her hand on her husbands shoulder and smiled at the girl in the doorway.

"Have a nice day, honey."

"I will."

Conan let out a loud yawn. The words on the page before him were fuzzy. Apparently sleeping when the girl of your dreams is pressing her chest up against yours had proved alot more difficult than Conan had anticipated. But he was happy to see Aiko was cheerful again. She had entered the classroom with her normal bang, doves, smoke and all and was now happily chatting with Kaede. Conan smiled to himself and turned back to his book. Although for now he was happy, something lodged at the back of his mind kept prodding him constantly. He wasn't sure what, just something.

"Okay, Seats everyone!" The teacher yelled while vigorously clapping her hands. "You probably already know, But we have a new student joining us today." The door slid open. The room fell silent. Aiko's jaw hit the ground. The blonde haired girl strode across the classroom with a walk which was already attracting a lot of attention from the boys. The girl stood in front of the black board and dipped her head slightly.

"My name is Shiori Hakuba of London. Please look after me in future."

"Please do your best to make Hakuba feel right at home." With a bow, Hakuba took her seat...Right next to Aiko. Aiko laughed inwardly. It was funny how the seating arrangement seemed to reflect her current situation as Kid. Sandwiched in between two detectives. Hakuba turned to Aiko, eyes narrowed.

"Have we met before?" Aiko's hair stood on end.

"I don't think so!" She laughed nervously. "Oh, And on behalf of Teitan High, I, Aiko Kuroba would like to welcome you! Enjoy your stay here!" Aiko extended a hand and produced a red rose from in between her forefinger and her thumb. Hakuba looked slightly taken aback.

"Thankyou." Aiko noticed Akai chuckling to himself at the back of the room and poked her tongue out at him. "Hang on a moment...Did you say Kuroba?" Aiko turned back to Hakuba again.

"Hmm?"

"You said your name was Aiko Kuroba, right?"

"Ye...Yeah..."

"Oh, so we have met before." Aiko flinched. "You and me used to play dolls house together when we were little. Of course it isn't in my memory personally, but my father has a photo album. It thought you looked familiar. Same scraggily brown locks and arched blue eyes as the little girl in photo's."

"Eh? Really?" Aiko leaned sideways a little, confused. "Wow, what a coincidence! So who is your dad then?"

"Police Commissioner Saguru Hakuba. My mother Natsuki Hakuba is a reformed criminal"

"Natsuki?" It was Conan this time. "Surely you couldn't mean...?"

"Natsuki of the Detective Koushien, if you were going to ask..." Hakuba rolled her eyes. Conan stared.

"Dad told me all about that! Didn't she kill someone?"

"True." _Wow, What an odd couple, A Commissioner and a murderer _Aiko thought.

"Don't you ever get worried that she might try and kill your dad or you?" Aiko laughed.

"Yeah, if it were me I'd want to get back at the detective who caught me." Conan contributed.

"She's not the type to hold grudges." Hakuba said flatly. "If she was I probably wouldn't have been born." Hakuba pulled a novel and a pair of reading glasses from her bag, indicating the conversation was over. Aiko returned her attention to the front of the glass. What a snob...

The bell rang finally. Aiko scraped her books into her bag and headed for the classroom window. Hopping up onto the window ledge, she slid it open and prepared to jump. The students and teacher didn't even glance in her direction. Aiko would often leave out the window, despite the fact they were on the third floor. Conan met her at the gates alongside Hakuba to her surprise.

"Well, Kuroba. Quite the acrobat aren't you?" Hakuba commented as Aiko approached the two detectives from across the grounds.

"It's a hobby of mine." Aiko grinned as the three began the walk home. She thought it was best not to mention that she had learnt it all from her father, remebering her and Hakuba's first encounter.

"Say, Kuroba." Hakuba smiled slightly smugly. "How interested are you in Kaito Kid?"

"Hmm?" Aiko pretended to ponder for a second. "Very! She's definitely intriguing. I have respect for her skills too!" Talk about blowing your own trumpet.

"Is that so..." Hakuba smiled to herself again as if she found this very amusing. "Would it interest you to know that I met her?"

"Wow, really!?" _Yep, You met me alright._

"I almost caught her too." _No you didn't. You weren't even close. That young officer had me worried for a microsecond though. _"Would you be jumping for joy or crying your eyes out if I were to actually catch her?" Aiko seriously thought this over for a second. To avoid arousing suspicion from Conan, she answered:

"I'd be jumping for joy."

"Why is that?"

"I'm on Conan's side!" Aiko and Conan exchanged smiles. "He said he'd unmask her in front of the camera's for all to see!"

"Well, why don't you join Kudo-kun and myself on the next heist?"

"Hmm?"

"Wouldn't you like to witness her capture firsthand? You seem like a pretty capable girl. You could be helpful." Hakuba grinned. Aiko was suddenly hit by a realization. The reason Hakuba was proposing her attendance of the next heist was because she suspected her already...Possibly. If so, what was she basing this assumption on?

"Oh sure!" Aiko replied cheerily. "I would love too."

"Great." Hakuba chuckled. "Anyway, my house is this way so I'll leave you two young lovers to your own devices. Ta then." Hakuba skipped off in the opposite direction to Conan and Aiko's routes home. Conan half smiled.

"What an odd girl..."

"Odd is right!" Aiko crossed her arms. "Calling us "young lovers". Beh!"

"We get that a lot though..." Conan chuckled as they continued to walk.

"True..." Aiko sighed. "So narrow minded folks are nowadays. Can't a boy and a girl be just friends anymore?" An awkward silence ensued. Just friends was something these two were both slowly trying to edge away from. "She kept giving me funny looks all day..." Aiko thought aloud.

"Well, this is me. I'll see you tomorrow." Conan stood by his gates. Aiko smiled and bobbed his head a little. Looking at her face as they prepared to part, Conan was somewhat tempted to lean down and give her a kiss on the cheek, not on the lips, that seemed a little extreme, for some reason, but of course he had yet to muster up sufficient courage. With another quick goodbye, Conan swung open his gates and made his along the garden path while Aiko scooted off down the road. Then she stopped as if she had just realised there was a rope tied around her waist and began to slowly pace backwards, turning to look at the oddly shaped house next door to the ornate yet modern Kudo mansion. Without putting much thought into it, Aiko turned on her heels and dashed down the garden path quickly, ringing the bell. The door was answered by the Hakase, mentally nicknamed Santa Claus by Aiko. He smiled at her warmly again as he had done before.

"Hello again Aiko-kun! What can I do for you this time?" He chortled, patting her shoulder. Aiko smiled nervously.

"Hello Hakase...Um...I was wondering if I could talk with Haibara-san again?"

"Of course!" Agasa nodded. Before he had a chance to invite her in, Ai herself appeared him.

"If it isn't Kaito junior again." She smirked. "Have you come to interrogate me again?"

"Yep!" Aiko chirped. Ai rolled her eyes.

"There really isn't much I can tell you..."

"Tell me everything you can then, I don't care if it endangers my life, They're after me as it is. Not to mention, I would just like to know more about you and what you did there."

"Fine, Come on." Aiko stepped into the house, Agasa closing the door behind her.

Ai sipped her coffee half staring into space as she recalled her early years there. She set the mug down on the table and stared at Aiko.

"I was born into the Organization....My mother and father were both members...But they died in an accident when I was very young...I myself never fully understood what their purpose was...But all I ascertained is that despite complete disregard for the lives of those around them...The boss or...That person...as they refer to him, cherishes his own life enough to force an 18 year old into making a drug which could supposedly cause immortality."


	20. Apotoxin

Aiko stared for a second.

"Immortality?"

"Yes, that's right. That's what I was there for. My father had originally been assigned to that task but when he passed away, I took his place in creating what is now known as Apotoxin, the affects of which are quite different from immortality. While I know that this is rather an important part of the tapestry that is the Black Organization, I can say for sure that isn't their one true goal..." Ai's information delivery manner suggested a teacher that had gotten bored of her job and was on the brink of quitting, rather than someone telling you their dramatic life story.

"It turns you into a child doesn't it? Apotoxin, I mean. That's what happened to you and Shinichi right?" Aiko said, feeling rather proud of herself. Ai looked slightly surprised.

"Yes, exactly. It wasn't meant for that at all, That person wanted to live forever. Now, the Pandora Gem, which is where your father and his father come in, would be a shortcut to this wouldn't it? Your grandfather actually found the Pandora but kept it from them which resulted in his death. Your father went after it to, for the purpose of destroying it to keep it out of That Person's reach but failed and ended up dead too so know he has passed to responsibility on to you. I can only hope you don't also end up dead also."

"I'm afraid...I'll admit..." Aiko cast her eyes to the floor. "But I'm going to soldier on."

"Feel free to do so, But soldier carefully. Prying into the Black Organization is like being suspended over to edge of a cliff. One little nudge and you could loose all you hold dear. It doesn't take much for them. They know everyone and everything about them. Nothing is kept secret from them. They will find your loved ones, where they live, what they do...Everything right down to what colour toothbrush they use if any and they will slaughter them while you watch until eventually the only one left on the list is you." Aiko gulped. How grim. "I personally find you rather interesting so I am your ally."

"Oh, I never really got a chance to thank you for saving mine and oba-san's lives, so...." Aiko bowed while still sitting. "Thankyou very much."

"I'm sick of watching people die...And also I couldn't stand the thought of the Kudo's being torn up...I know it would definitely have an impact on little Conan." Aiko's heart skipped a beat for some odd reason. "Whether you noticed it or not, Ran and Shinichi lavish almost as much attention on you as they do on Conan. Because you have no parents, they like to think of you as a daughter. And Conan..." Ai trailed off for a second. "If you were to die it would break his heart."

"Huh?"

"You didn't see it? It's not hard you know, I read his facial expressions whenever he talks about you, when I see you two parting at the gates...And I compile what Shinichi and Ran have told me into one unshakable conclusion..." Aiko's face let out a burst of steam as all the blood rushed to her head, turning her a deep scarlet. "I know it isn't really my position to comment, but he wants an answer from you. He can't do it himself, he isn't good at expressing his feelings..." Ai took another sip of her coffee. "He's a polite boy. Takes after his mother I suppose..." Aiko sat nervously twiddling her fingers.

"That's all well and good Haibara-san but...I'm a little scared to...If I where to tell him that I had feelings for him then...Surely he would find out that I am Kid eventually..."

"How so?"

"Because...I kissed him when I was Kid and I feel like...I just get the hunch if we ever kissed again, Conan would...pick up on it." Ai stifled a giggle. Aiko noticed this and began to flap her arms frantically. "I-i-t was a distraction! So I could escape the building!" Ai didn't look convinced.

"Right, Well, Anyway. I will help you in your mission of finding the Pandora and destroying it, because like I said, not only am I sick of watching people die but I have some personal issues with one of the Black Organization's members..." Ai stared blankly down into her coffee mug.

_The strawberry blonde haired child sat in the middle of the carpet, arranging coloured blocks to form nonsensical four letter words. She heard the shouting from next door, the screaming and crying. Slowly, she stood and toddled shakily across the carpet, her infant legs still not fully accustomed to walking. Peering through the door, she saw a man tied to a chair, blood rushing from wounds that scarred his body with the barrel of a gun being dug into his forehead by another man stood over him in a black leather jacket. More shouting and screaming and then a large splat of blood staining the floor, wall and ceiling. The man in the __chair was silent._

"_Don't look Shiho!" Two hands were clamped over her eyes, slowly dragging her from the door. A pair of shaking arms embraced her. "Don't look..." The girl wept._

"_Onee-cha..." Shiho mumbled, staring up at her sister with wide confused eyes. Several tear drops from Akemi hit her cheeks._

"_There are bad things that happen here...Don't ever look at them...Close your eyes. That's what I do. When bad things happen, we can close our eyes together...Promise me Shiho...that you'll close your eyes?" Akemi's voice trembled as she held her sister tight._

"_Promise..." Shiho nodded._

"_Such a strange child she is..." Vermouth took a long exhale. "A complete blank sheet, I've never seen her smile. Always there at that computer..." She stared past the doorframe at Shiho, sat totally engrossed in her work, tapping at the keyboard with lightning speed._

"_Well, Children born into the Organization don't get much chance at childhood..." Said the man stood beside her. "Not to mention her parent's kicked the bucket before she even knew them, She was more or less raised by her sister." Vermouth chuckled._

"_I can relate. And just look at the middle schooler, Kurosawa Jin."_

"_He's probably the most messed up of all of us..." The man in black smiled. "...Those two would get on like a house on fire."_

"_What's that you're doing there?" Shiho stared up from the book on her desk. A tall boy stood above her, flowing shoulder length silver hair and black middle school uniform._

"_...Science..." She replied bluntly before lowering her head once more. The boy reached across and tapped the page._

"_You made a mistake here. Do you want some help?" Shiho looked up again, confused. The boy took a seat across from her and smiled, sliding the pen out of her hand._

"_Look, this is how you do it..." Shiho stared at his hands, correcting the mistakes on her page. "Do you understand now?" Shiho blushed, unable to take her eye's off his face._

"_Y...yeah..."_

"Haibara san...Haibara-san!" Aiko raised her voice slightly.

"Sorry, I just got lost in thought briefly..." Ai set down her coffee mug. "About a certain member of the Organization..." The clockwork of Aiko's mind went wild.

"A certain member..."

"You may have seen him the other night in the Porsche...Long silver hair, thin bony face..."

"I dunno, I didn't really see the drivers. Why were you thinking about him?" Aiko pried. Ai sighed.

"He did something unforgivable to me..."

"....Liiike....?" Ai scowled across at her.

"It's none of your business..." Aiko receded back into her seat.

"Sorry."

"So I trust the budding artist is planning another portrait for tonight?" Ai inquired.

"Quite literally" Aiko nodded. "I read in the paper about a painting that has never seen the light of day, crafted underground, kept underground. The artist requested it, so they can't move it from it's place. So they built a museum around it."

"Oh yes, _The Weeping Crystal _isn't it? Doesn't seem like you to steal a painting."

"Well, The title and the strange circumstances lead me to believe this might be the jackpot." Aiko smiled.

"Good luck, I'll be seeing you there should the need arise."

"Cool, Seeya!" With that Aiko stood and took off. She had a lot of planning and note sending to be getting on with.

Two days on, the note sent and everything planned to perfection, Aiko cheerily danced into the classroom that morning. Conan and Hakuba were conversing over a newspaper. Aiko peered over their shoulders and sniggered internally. It was about her. Hakuba placed a hand on her chin and sighed.

"The Weeping Crystal is it?" She huffed. "Such a bother, This Kaito Kid ought to find herself a real job...But then again she does keep detectives like us busy." The blonde girl smiled up at Conan. Aiko detected a slight flirtatious note within Hakuba's voice, a pinprick of jealousy poking her in the back of the head. Instinctively, she pushed her seat directly in-between the two and sat down with a loud: "Good morning Conan! Hakuba!" Hakuba shot Aiko a subtly scornful glare, while Conan just smiled.

" Morning Aiko!" Conan sang cheerily.

"Morning..." Hakuba huffed. "Say, Kuroba?"

"Hmm?"

"Remember about my inquiry as to whether you would like to accompany Kudo and myself to the next Kid heist which as you know is taking place around midnight tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"Well...Would you consider taking me up on that offer?"

"You mean like...Coming with you?" Aiko fidgeted nervously. She mentally concocted a fake excuse. "No...I'm...Uhh...Taking care of my...cat..."

"But you don't have a ca--" Aiko raised a hand to silence Conan.

"Could it be perhaps you are afraid of coming...For some odd reason...?" Hakuba smirked. Aiko averted her eyes nervously. "My father once told me the honest have nothing to fear. So will join Kudo and myself?"

Poker face at the ready, Aiko replied: "Sure!" And immediately regretted it. Hakuba's ambiguos words sounded almost like she was catching onto Aiko's secret. But how, And what was she basing this on? It wasn't going to be easy, but Aiko needed some way to be in two places at once. But her father unfortunately had taught her no such trick.

* * *

_Sorry took so long, Writers block ^^;_


	21. Escape impossible

"So you say this whole thing is actually underground? Wow!"

Aiko sighed internally. All this feigning ignorance was getting really annoying. Occasionally she had pushed to the point of wanting to cry out "I'M KID DAMMIT! GO AHEAD AND HANDCUFF ME!". Conan smiled at her.

"Yep. The artist lived here years ago in a small apartment and painted it in the basement. He requested it never be moved from that spot because that was how it was supposed to be viewed. After he passed on they built an art museum over the apartment block, so they could display the piece but keep it underground. Pretty obsessive I think, but then again, I will never understand the human race..."

"Wow!" Aiko repeated. Surely Conan must've seen through her act. It was so dramatically exaggerated. But surprisingly he didn't. She wasn't so sure about Hakuba though. The three walked side by side along the dark pavements of nigh-midnight Beika, wrapped up warm in scarfs and gloves, wisps of steam hanging in the air with every breath. It certainly was a chilly evening.

"There will be a considerable mass of officers here tonight..." Hakuba thought aloud, staring into the navy sky. "...If Kid is among the crowd she shouldn't be able to slip away." She smiled at Aiko sinisterly over her shoulder, sending shivers down Aiko's spine.

"Dad told me the painting should be protected by bulletproof glass and armed guards. They really are going all out for this one."

_Thanks guys, way to make me feel confident about this heist _Aiko groaned in her head.

Hakuba wasn't kidding when she had mentioned the "considerable mass of officers". Aiko was sure those who weren't dressed like policemen must have been under cover. The wide hall resembled a slightly more modern, smaller version of the Louvre. Trailing closely behind Conan, Aiko walked under the main archway. There were many familiar faces. The old regulars and some who didn't seem so familiar...And some who were all too familiar.

"Conan-kuuuun!" came a womans voice. Aiko, in something of a panic, hastily scoped the room for it's owner, but by the time she had returned her eyes to Conan, an older woman had her arms around his neck, cooing over him like a baby. It was not just the action that shocked Aiko but rather who was performing it. It was that exact officer she had seen that night when her and Hakuba had first met, the one with enough guts to step right out in front of her when Aiko was speeding towards her at a thousand miles an hour. The woman was relatively tall, short combed brown hair, her figure perfectly proportioned. Aiko guesses she was in her late twenties or early thirties. The woman played with a strand of Conan's hair teasingly.

"How's my little Coney-conan tantei-wantei doing?" the officer cooed. This was clearly embarrassing Conan. Both Aiko and Hakuba were failing to comprehend the situation.

"Now I have evidence to support my theory that Kudo favours older women..." Hakuba muttered to herself.

"What made you think that?" Aiko raised an eyebrow at the blonde detective.

"Just a hunch."

"Ayumi-neechan..." Conan shrugged her off his shoulders. "I'm doing fine thanks. I have asked you not to smother me in public please..." He laughed nervously, glancing at Aiko briefly. Ayumi reached down and pulled Conan's cheek.

"Sorry, I can't help myself! Seeya round!" With that she stood and left. Conan was so quick to begin an explanation , Aiko and Hakuba had very little time to open their mouths to ask for one.

"She's an old friend of my dads! Ayumi-neechan's been doing that ever since I was a baby. I suppose the concept of growing up is a little foreign to her." Conan laughed nervously. "When my dad was little apparently they used to be in a gang called the Shonen Tantei Dan although I have no idea how that would've worked as there's at least 10 years gap between them..." Aiko assumed that Shinichi had befriended Ayumi during his little bout with Apotoxin. "Anyway, Ayumi-neechan is something of a bigshot police officer, they call her "Ayumi the Indestructible", god only knows why. Also at least half of the male members of the police force have a yen for her..." Conan quickly glanced around and leant in closer to the two girls, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Don't tell dad this...Or anyone...Although I think he might know...But she's madly in love with him...And I think she's projecting that onto me..." Aiko giggled.

"Projecting is right." Aiko turned to watch the officer, who was now conversing with the heavy set man Aiko had seen with her during the Yotsuba Jewellery Gallery theft, a tall skinny man with a pair of small spectacles which made him look more like an overgrown teenager than a man ,and Ai Haibara. Aiko smiled at Conan and Hakuba.

"Why don't you two go grab some punch...or beer...something...I'm going...over there...now..." She pointed rigidly to the general vicinity where Ai Haibara was. Aiko's sentence was a little broken mainly due to her improvised excuse. She scooted across the room when she was sure Conan and Hakuba weren't paying attention and tapped Ai on the shoulder. The entire group turned their attention to her.

"Good evening Haibara-san! How's every little thing?" Aiko gave the older woman a large toothy grin. A force tugged at the corners of Ai's mouth forming something of a Mona-Lisa-esque smile. Or at least Aiko assumed it was a smile.

"How nice it is to see you, Kuroba-chan. Oh, did I introduce you to my good friends here?"

"Nope, I don't think so..." Ai turned.

"This is Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya." The tall overgrown-teenager bowed slightly with a nervous smile.

"Hi."

"Genta Kojima."

"Yo!" The large man smiled.

"And Ayumi Yoshida."

"You're Aiko aren't you?" Ayumi poked Aiko's forehead. Aiko smiled and nodded. "Nice to meet you!"

"Ayumi and Genta are police officers, Mitsuhiko is a forensic scientist." Aiko smiled and nodded again, making sure to keep quiet. Aiko made a slight beckoning motion with her hand to Haibara, and drew close to the older womans ear.

"Haibara-san, I might need your help at some point. The British detective, Hakuba is keeping her eye on me. Slipping away might be a bit hard"

"I'll see what I can do." Ai nodded. Twirling on her heels, Aiko returned to Conan and Hakuba who had followed her advice and were chatting over drinks.

"Hey Aiko, What were you talking to Haibara-san about?" Conan enquired politely as Aiko approached.

"Just saying hi." Aiko winked. Suddenly Aiko winced, the touch of cold metal hitting her wrist, with a small click. Her eyes travelled down her arm, a thick silver bracelet coiled around her like a snake. A handcuff. On the other end stood a very pleased looking Shiori Hakuba.

"He-hey! Hakuba, what're you playing at!?" Aiko stared in confused. Hakuba simply smirked, placing her free hand on her hip.

"I'll admit I actually had a hidden agenda for bringing you with me tonight." Hakuba said in something of a monotone, her grin drew right across her face. Aiko's eyes widened with shock.

"Ah-ha hey Hakuba! Don't get me wrong, I like you, You're awesome but this relationship is moving a little too fast! We don't have to do all that...stuff...right away! Let's start out as friends first and see where it goes from ther--"

"That's not the point I was trying to make, Kuroba." Hakuba blushed with sheer embarrassment. Conan looked somewhat red faced and distant too. Aiko grinned at the irritated girl with a low chuckle

"See, this just proves you have no sense of humour!" Hakuba glared at her. Conan stifled a giggle. "Just one question though, What if one of us needs the toilet?" Hakuba's glare hardened.

"I'm not even going to answer that. Now, I'll thank you to stop interrupting me, Allow me to explain my agenda."

"Are these handcuffs necessary?"

"Yes. Now. My father suspects you are Kaito Kid."

"Oh, How so?" Aiko played it cool.

"Well, As you know, my father and your father, god rest him, were..." Hakuba searched for the right words. "...friends as teenagers. My father always suspected him to be Kaito Kid. Although it was never proven--"

"So you're handcuffing me based on a hunch your dad had when he was our age?"

"In short. Yes. We'll see if this theory can be proven at midnight when Kaito Kid is schedualed to appear to steal The Weeping Crystal."

"Hakuba, don't you think you're being a little unreasonable?" Conan intervened.

"We are detectives, are we not?" Hakuba smirked, an eyebrow raised. "I'm a huge fan of your fathers. If memory serves, his famous quote is,: "There is only truth". Isn't that right...Kudo?"

Conan glanced at the two girls, who stood side by side like conjoint twins, awkwardly.

"Well, yeah but..."

"Oi, Kudo, Kuroba!" Both Aiko and Conan knew that voice. An Osakan accent stronger than a gale force wind. Both turned to the dark skinned boy in his black school uniform, grinning at them.

"Hey, Hattori!" Conan smiled.

"Yuma!" The boy approached, his eyes finding and scanning Hakuba immediately.

"Another one of your girlfriends, Kudo?" He gestured to Hakuba who was staring at Yuma like he had just crawled out of the gutter. Conan glared, his face flushing. "My ol' man said your ol' man always had a way with the ladies. Taking after you pops, eh?"

"Ehem...This is Shiori Hakuba of London." Conan mumbled awkwardly. Yuma extended a hand but drew it back when Hakuba recoiled in disgust.

"Nice to meet you." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Pleasure." Hakuba said dryly. Aiko and Conan where already feeling slightly awkward, like a happy couple that had been invited to dinner by an arguing couple. Aiko glanced at the large clock which was strangely enough mounted on the ceiling (Probably just to make the place seem a little more arty, when all Aiko saw was a potential crushing hazard.) and bit her bottom lip lightly. 10 minutes until midnight.


	22. Help from Sherry

Aiko was becoming, increasingly irritable, risking glances at the oversized ceiling mounted clock whenever she was sure no-one was looking. Constant consultation of the clock was bound to rouse questions from the three detectives she happened to be trapped in-between. Already, Hakuba and Yuma had taken an instant dislike to one another, striking eachother with insults, Conan unsuccessfully trying to keep the peace.

"Aho, You think you're so great? How many cases have you solved?"

"I could quote to you the number exactly."

"Well bring it on, fancy pants!"

"Guys, please..." Conan interjected. Aiko looked at the clock again. 8 minutes.

"I have solved exactly 892 cases in Japan alone."

"That's nothing! I've--!" Yuma stopped when he realised she had beat him hands down. "Who cares anyway, You can't hide behind those phoney numbers!"

"Heh, You were the one who brought it up."

"Shut up!"

"A clear sign you couldn't think of a better comeback!"

"Oi, Kudo, what the hell is with this stuck-up british chick?" Yuma turned to Conan, trying to convert him from a neutral party to an ally. Aiko glanced at the clock again. 7 minutes. She scoped the room in a panic for something to get her out of this situation. She hopped about slightly, in the way that people dance a little when they are nervous. She cringed and dared another look at the clock. 6 minutes. Had time decided to speed up simply to be an inconvenience to her?

"Something wrong?" Damn! Of course Conan was gonna notice! Aiko grinned at him.

"I need the toilet but I really don't want Hakuba to have to come with me because that would be just plain awkward, right?" Aiko continued her little nervous dance, converting it into a "I-need-the-toilet" dance. Conan nodded.

"I suppose...Hey, Hakuba..." He turned to the british girl who for some strange reason had Yuma in a headlock and was giving him the noogie-ing of a lifetime.

"Hmmm?" She glanced up, still continuing the rub her knuckles vigorously against Yuma's scalp.

"Do you have the keys for the handcuffs?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Aiko needs the toilet." Hakuba groaned and realeased Yuma who fell to the floor with a loud thump_, _cursing and rubbing his poor head.

"I shall allow this but I shall accompany you and stand outside the stall. Don't even think about picking one near an air vent." _Drat _Aiko cursed in her head. Swiftly, like the prisoner she had become, Hakuba dragged Aiko helplessly across the marble floors to the toilets. Only when Aiko was right outside the stall did Hakuba finally release the handcuffs. Aiko quickly slipped in to the stall and sat wondering what the hell to do. Then she heard a soft "Psst." She looked up to see Haibara's head poking over the stall.

"Haibara-san!" Aiko cried quietly with relief.

"You seem to be in a bit of a bind." Ai Haibara smirked.

"No kidding. Can you help me?" Haibara pondered for a minute.

"I could disguise as you."

"Aren't you a bit tall?"

"True..."

"C'mon quick, Hakuba's gonna get suspicious!"

"Listen, I have an idea. Crawl under the gaps until you reach the stall with a vent. Make your escape there. I'll make sure Hakuba still thinks your in here."

"How?" Ai smiled enigmatically and held up a small red bow tie.

"This device can simulate any voice. I'll simply sit in here and keep Hakuba chatting then you make your appearance as Kaito Kid. When you're done, come back here." Aiko nodded before quickly slipping like a snake into the next stall along, commando crawling towards the end.

"Hurry up in there, Kuroba!" Hakuba wrapped on the door. Ai hastily changed the setting on the bow tie.

"Sorry, Having a few...ahem...womanly problems. Gonna be a while!" Ai announced loudly, her voice now matching Aiko's exactly, while the girl herself was slipping out through the vent at the end of the room, thanking her lucky stars she had an ally. Hakuba grimaced.

"Keep such facts to yourself in future."

"Righty-o!" Ai sighed, setting the bow tie down on her lap. She was probably gonna be in this stall for a while.

The vent eventually lead to the roof, perfectly enough. Aiko quickly pulled on her Kaito Kid suit, and peered carefully through one of the glass arches in the ceiling. She could see Conan and Yuma below, discussing whatever things boys discuss when there are no girls present. Damn clock just had to be mounted on the ceiling didn't it? She couldn't see it or any clock for that matter from this point. Aiko found herself wishing she'd swiped Hakuba's pocket watch before leaving. Then she heard a loud voice from bellow and Ginzo charged into the area visible.

"We've got two minutes! Kid is never late! TO THE BASEMENT!" Thankyou Ginzo. With two minutes to spare, getting down to the basement shouldn't be hard. The vent was bound to lead down there.

Conan stood, hands in his pockets, glancing around in the semi-darkness of the basement. A single large spotlight illuminated the Weeping Crystal, bound by thick glass and armed security guards. The attention is was getting was almost making Conan feel sorry for the other paintings in the underground gallery. Of course they couldn't dedicate such a sprawling space to just one painting. It was a beautiful painting, a woman with flowing blue hair, clasping a red crystal to her chest, which seemed to be leaking some glowing red fluid. The woman herself was crying too. Aiko and Hakuba were still no-where to be seen. Kid wasn't either. Ginzo was crouching like a tiger waiting for his prey. As Conan stood, he noticed two men stood in the corner, dressed entirely in black. Something about these men gave him the chills even though he could only see them vaguely through the dark. One was a tall thin man (Well, Conan assumed he was thin beneath the hulking black coat he was wearing), flowing silver hair reaching past his lower back, a cigarette clenched between his teeth. The next man was a brutish figure, a jutting bottom lip like a trout, wide square shoulders and a black three piece suit and hat. He instinctively clutched his elbows, a shiver running through his body.

"Dude, you okay?" Yuma looked concerned.

"Sure, Just got the chills for some odd reason." His attention was drawn to the painting when there when a large pink burst of smoke came, filling the room. When it cleared, of course, sat casual on top of the glass case, swinging her legs, was the one and only Kaito Kid. Ginzo leapt into action immediately.

"GET HER!"

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen!" Kaito Kid cried. It seemed most of the room were pro-Kid ,save for the task force, as there was quite a lot of cheering going on. Kid gracefully stepped down from the glass case and smiled at the two guards, gun's aimed straight at her head. Suddenly, One of the task force members lept for one of the other painting in the room, wrenching it from the walls. A large alarm sounded, thick metal bars closing down over all entrances with a metallic boom. This gallery employed the same security method as the Louvre. Once were in, you were trapped. Many of the guests began to panic. Conan noticed the two men in black looked pretty uneasy.

"What was that noise?" Hakuba glanced up.

"Seem's to be a lot of excitement in the basement!" Ai sang, still in Aiko's voice.

"Look, You've been in there for exactly 5 minutes and 25 seconds now, I'm sure your problems can't be that bad!"

"Well, that's all well and good, But I have another problem now, It'll be a while..."

"I'm not even going to ask..." Hakuba leant against the stall door and consulted her watch. Kid must be down there by now. Ai Haibara started humming Winter Bells by Mai Kuraki to make sure Hakuba still thought she was in there.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!" Cried one of the guests. Ginzo was handed a police megaphone by one of the task force members.

"No need to worry folks!" Ginzo called. "We simply activated the security system so Kid could not escape!" He turned menacingly to Kaito Kid who had climbed back atop the glass case and was giggling to herself. The security system didn't lock the vent down. Not to mention the room was almost completely pitch black save for the light under which the Weeping Crystal basked.

"You can't keep us trapped in here!" Screamed another guest. "Besides, Kid is gone!"

"What are you tal—WAAHAH!" Ginzo screamed when he realised Kid had in fact disappeared. "GODDAMNIT!" He slammed a clenched fist on the bullet proof glass which used to guard Weeping Crystal. Now it had not but a note reading "Thanks for the painting. Love Kaito Kid" . "How did she get out?" Kid lay flat on her stomach in the vent, giggling to herself, covered with a black cloak. The vent were surprisingly wide, just enough so to fit in a painting. Not to mention, for such a well protected painting, it wasn't actually that big. Carefully, The keeping the painting above her as to not scrape it against the floor, Aiko shimmied through the vents towards the roof. She could simply climb down and put the painting in her grandmothers car. Her grandmother always waited for her out the back. She simply needed to be weary of suspicious black porches this time.

"What took you so long?" Hakuba huffed in a disgruntled manner when Aiko finally emerged from the stall, Ai Haibara now returned to the neighbouring stall.

"Ah-ha..." Aiko scratched the back of her head. "Like I said, Problems!" She had made sure Haibara had filled her in on what she had been saying to keep Hakuba distracted. Hakuba shook her head.

"Well, come on. The excitements all over now, I heard Ginzo screaming in anguish through the vent." Aiko flinched. Luckily Hakuba didn't add anymore to that sentence. "Kid got away with The Weeping Crystal."

"Aww, Nuts! I wanted to see her!"

"Well, lets go and find Kudo and...The boy who's name I didn't make a point of remembering."

"But Hakuba, you remember everything!" Aiko performed a very exaggerated shocked act. Hakuba remained silent as the two girls left the room. When she was sure they were gone, Ai slipped from the stall and sighed, drawing the back of her hand across her brow. Why she had decided to help this girl she had still yet to comprehend. What a boring half and hour that had turned out to be. Ai quickly checked herself in the mirror before, leaving into the main gallery which was now deserted. The flaw of Ginzo's plan is that everyone was locked in the basement until reinforcements arrived to pry the gates open. Her heels hitting the marble floor with a satisfying echo, Ai made her way towards the door. Then suddenly she felt a presence. A cold menacing presence approaching behind her. It was one of them. Before she had a chance to turn, a pair of hands slid around her waist from behind, warm breath brushing the back of her neck. A gasp escaped her lips when she realised who it must be. Then came the most disturbing voice.

"Hello Sherry."


	23. Intoxicated

"Hello Sherry."

Ai didn't dare move, frozen stiff by sheer terror. She was surprised that the man for once wasn't pressing a gun barrel against the back of her head. But that wasn't a reassuring fact. If anything it made the situation a whole lot more disturbing. Ai gulped, a shiver coursing through her. The man obviously felt it and chuckled to himself.

"What's wrong Sherry? You seem scared..." His words hung maliciously in the air.

"G...Gin...!" Ai breathed, her chest tight. He moved his head a little closer. Ai let out a gasp of shock when she felt him pressing his lips against the nape of her neck. She tried to pull away but he simply tugged her back towards him, his overpowering arms wrapping around her shoulders this time. The fear was consuming her completely. Every time she felt the hot air of his heavy breath against her ear, her heart stopped for seconds. One hand slid up from her shoulder to her neck, clutching it lightly, his grip threatening to tighten any minute. Ai let out a silent whimper.

"It's been a very long time..." Gin growled before giving her a violent tug, almost knocking her off her feet and dragging her to a shadowed corner of the hall, hidden by a huge pillar. Ai was no more than a helpless ragdoll. Her back collided with the wall as Gin hurled her to the floor, quickly locking her in place with his arms. He forced his lips harshly against hers, viciously attacking her mouth. Ai let out a muffled scream. Gin backed away all of a sudden, wiping a trickle of the blood away from the corner of his mouth.

"You bit my tongue..." He grinned sadistically at her, reaching into his pocket from which he pulled a silenced Beretta M1934 and pressed it against her forehead. "...I suggest you don't do that again. Make a noise and we can brighten up this dull brown floor with the beautiful crimson of your blood." Ai whimpered in terror as Gin began to draw closer to her again his lips once again encircling hers. The only time that dropping dead on the spot had seemed so appealing before was when her sister died. His arms snaked around her waist and held her against him harshly. Tears began to run down Ai's cheeks as she remember all the emotional and physical pain he had caused her. Her air supply was becoming short but Gin refused to release her. Only when she was on the brink of suffocation did he pull away, leaving Ai gasping heavily for air. His lips dived at her neck while his hands felt their way up her back towards the zip of her blood red dress.

"HELP! KUDO!" Ai suddenly screamed. Gin suddenly tugged away, irritated, and held the Berreta against her neck, his teeth gritted.

"...Kudo, Is it..." He growled and then brushed her cheek with his tongue. "...Kudo...Well, you're precious _Kudo_...is locked down in that hall...So keep your mouth shut..." He harshly stressed the word Kudo. The threat of another man intervening only made Gin's twisted desire for Sherry even more intense. Gin wasn't going to waste anymore time. He shoved Ai down to floor, her head hitting the marble hard and tugged at the front of her dress, ripping it down the middle, all the while crushing his lips powerfully against hers. Ai couldn't scream. Then suddenly a bullet hit the floor right beside Ai's head. She gasped, wondering if Gin had gone back on his decision and decided just to kill her but missed (Although she was sure Gin wasn't such a bad aim he couldn't even shoot her at point blanc range.) But Gin's Berreta was left untouched. Two figures stood behind him, one clutching a smoking pistol. Gin looked up slowly, his expression twisting into one of some strange malicious delight. Neither of their faces could be seen, both hidden by scarfs with eyeholes. The were feminine figures.

"Get off her..." The gun toting figure demanded.

"Perhaps, if you'd be so kind to unwrap that scarf from your face..." Gin stood, releasing Ai. She curled up into a ball immediately and buried her head in her knee's, as if not seeing Gin would make him go away.

"Don't lay a finger on her." The figure said again. Ai didn't recognize the voice. It was distorted by a device. Gin raised the Beretta and fired. Or attempted to fire. The figure held out a hand full of shells and allowed them to fall to the floor like rain.

"While you were so busy with your little...fit of passion...I took the liberty of unloading your gun and taking the rest of your ammo." Gin gritted his teeth.

"You...!!" Then suddenly a large clunk sounded throughout the whole hall, the dim lights bursting into action again. The distant thunder of footsteps could be heard. Gin cursed, tugged his collar to his lips and muttered something indistinguishably before storming out of the hall. Aiko and Hakuba tugged off their face scarfs and sighed in unison.

"Kuroba, do you mind telling what in gods name that was all about and where did you get that gun?" Hakuba stood impatiently. Aiko simply ignored this comment and approached the coiled Haibara, refusing to leave her hedgehog like state. Aiko gently patted the woman's shoulder.

"Are you okay...Haibara-san?" Hakuba was to busy collecting the shells to join Aiko. Haibara glanced shyly up at Aiko. It was a strange sight, seeing Ai cry. She seemed to keep her emotions under lock and key a fair amount of the time. The woman's eyes brimmed with tears.

"He didn't...?" Aiko started, but Ai already shook her head. Aiko didn't pry further. She assumed that the certain member of the Organization that had been on Ai's mind all the time was definitely that man. Aiko was itching to know the rest of the story concerning those two but that was probably the worst thing Aiko could bring up with Haibara after that particular man just attempted to force himself upon her.

"Haibara-san!" Came a high pitched voice from across the hall. Stumbling as he ran came the forensic scientist aka overgrown teenager, Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya. Aiko stepped back and allow the man...teenager...to step in. Mitsuhiko's face was in pure panic as he gently pulled Ai up from the floor and into his arms. He blushed and glued his eyes to the ceiling after getting a rather good look at the frilly black undergarments which were now exposed after Gin had ripped the front of her dress.

"Are you okay?" He asked, trying his best not to let his eye's wander. Ai Haibara let out a sigh and snuggled up closed against the mans chest, provoking more blushing and noiseless "I'm not looking, I'm not looking!".

"I'm fine..." She sighed.

"D-d-you..wun..g'...hospit'l...?" Mitsuhiko stuttered. Aiko slowly began to back away, feeling slightly awkward. Ai shook her head.

"No...I'm fine..." Aiko turned on her heels and scooted across the floor, a little nauseated by the shameless public displays of affection. Conan and Yuma were in sight.

"Aiko!" Conan cried, rushing to meet her. "Where've you and Hakuba been?"

"Well, I was in the toilet and then I had a few problems but by the time I got out and down to the basement there were bars on the door and everything so we waited up here for you!"

"Right." He peered over her shoulder and noticed Mitsuhiko helping a shaky Haibara to her feet his coat wrapped around her shoulders. She looked truly traumatized. "My god, what happened to Haibara?"

"Mad mugger, Mitsuhiko saved her." Aiko lied.

"But--" Hakuba intervened.

"It was a MAD MUGGER, right Hakuba?" She glared at the blonde detective over her shoulder. Hakuba furrowed her brow for a second then complied.

"Precisely, Mad mugger..." Conan didn't look convinced.

As Aiko sat in the back of the car her grandmother now drove (A rental of course, seeing as the previous car having been incinerated) , the painting wrapped in black fabric beside her. Like the painting, her mind was wrapped in black. The Black Organization. The man who she assumed to be something of a leader or at least high ranking member, the strange long haired character, scared her. He seemed to cold to be human. She had never looked into the eyes of another human being and seen absolutely no emotion at all. It was like looking at a blood covered knife. No sadness, No happiness, Just desire to kill.

The rest of the night (Or rather early morning) passed relatively uneventfully, free from worried phone calls from Conan. It bother Aiko slightly but she decided after a while that no news is good news. Needless to say, her sleep was restless. It had been a very strang heist. Her first close contact with the man who recently tried to take her life.

Saturday morning was fairly warm. The heat made Aiko's bed all the comfier and luckily her grandma was still asleep so there was no threat of salmon. Aiko buried her face in her pillow and let out a groan. The sunshine slithered in faintly through the curtains. Blindly she searched around on her bedside table for her phone and pulled it onto the pillow, feeling for the on button. She pressed around, still keeping her head buried. When she finally looked up, the display screen warranted an e-mail alert. Caller ID: Conan Kudo. Aiko blinked away the sleep in her eyes and opened the message.

_Hey Aiko_

_Guess what?_

Aiko groaned at the long onslaught of empty space that followed. Conan had a habit of doing that just because he knew it irritated her.

_My parents just got invited to Paris. Wanna come?_

Aiko rubbed her eyes just to make sure she didn't misread Cafe Poirot as Paris or something like that. It was so strange. He was just inviting her to Paris along with him as if he was just asking her to come to his house this afternoon. Aiko slapped the lid of her phone shut. She was going to have to go and see Conan about this.


	24. Packing

After being forced out of bed by her grandmother and a rather large water dwelling friend most likely to be served on top of a block of rice at a sushi restaurant, Aiko finally managed to begin making her way towards Conan's house to see what his cryptic text message was all about. The air was still and the weather was warm, but not sweltering. Aiko raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she stared up into the sky. With a smile, she swung her bag over her shoulder and began to make her way to the Kudo household.

Upon arrival, she wondered if she should stop and see if Haibara was okay but all she could see was being turned away at the doorstep by the Hakase saying that Ai wanted to be left alone. Aiko lingered between the Kudo and Agasa/Haibara houses for a few seconds before setting off down the garden path towards the Kudo household. Shinichi answered the door. He looked strangely pleased to see her.

"Hey, Aiko." He grinned and put a hand on her shoulder, dragging her in through the door. "C'mon in, Conan's expecting you!"

The Kudo household had never failed to amaze Aiko, even when she was a child and would come to play with Conan, she just couldn't get over the sheer space in the house. Although she though some areas of it could've done with a few potted plants or some other form of decoration, seeing as they were so empty. Passing the library, Aiko smiled, remembering all the fun her and Conan used to have in there as a child and when Conan had stood on her shoulders to try and reach a book higher up on the shelf only to bring a large avalanche down on the two children, much to their parents horror. Luckily no-one was hurt, even though Aiko and Conan had been buried by a considerable amount of books.

Conan was in his room, packing it seemed. He grinned upon noticing her in the doorway.

"Heya, Aiko." He chuckled.

"Yeah, Funny thing is, I got a message from one Conan Kudo this morning inviting me to Paris, Wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?" Aiko asked sarcastically. Conan stood, carefully placing a Sherlock Holmes book on top of a half packed suitcase.

"I was being serious y'know." He laughed. Aiko tilted her head on one side, a little confused. She assumed it must have been some ruse to get her to come over to his house.

"Really?"

_Darn, Guess I'll have to call of that heist at Haido Museum next week. I even had the letter written up and everything..._

"Yup!" Conan grinned. Aiko blinked.

"Wow. That was really sudden. I just wake up this morning and you ask me if I wanna come to Paris? Why!?" Aiko still refused to believe it was the truth.

"Well, Some friends of Dad's who are police officers live over there invited us to visit, Take a look around. They accidentally gave us four tickets so why not?" Aiko laughed breathlessly.

"Well, sure but...When are you leaving?"

"Sometime after midnight today, so get packing." Aiko let out a squeak and lept about 50 feet before attempting to leave the room at the speed of light only to have Conan latch onto her wrist.

"Hey, You don't have to go yet!" He protested.

"Bu-bu--! Packing!"

"It can't take you that long, C'mon! Sit down!" Aiko took a longing look probably in the direction of her house where suitcase might have been before guiltily turning back to Conan.

"I'll pack quickly, Then I'll come back!" Conan looked a little saddened.

"Fine, hurry up though."

Conan couldn't restrain his laughter when Aiko came through the door tugging a mammoth blue suitcase behind her. He wondered how she ever managed to get it over here in the first place as it seemed as if superhuman strength was needed just to drag it through the door. Aiko simply glared at him and pushed the suitcase out of tripping range.

"Pack your whole room in here?"

"Shut up." Aiko spat. Conan twiddled his fingers, risking an occasional glance from the floor to the face of the girl sitting next to him. If he was lucky, this might be his opportunity to finally tell Aiko how he really felt for her. A romantic city, just the two of them...But then all his ambitions came crashing down around him when he remembered trying to kiss Aiko before only to have her grandmother interrupt, how he had tried so hard just to steal one kiss from her in her sleep when she had been so upset and asked him to stay with her. He had gotten so close, his lips mere millimeters away from hers, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. His guilt got the better of him. And what if she rejected him? Even though they had been together every since before they were born, quite literally as their mothers both used to spend a lot of time together when they were both pregnant, he wasn't sure of any feeling's on her side. His head began to fill with horrible images of her screaming at him that she never wanted to see him again. It made his stomach turn. Trying to ignore all this paranoid thoughts, Conan knelt down beside Aiko's suitcase.

"Surely there must be some things in here you don't need." Aiko joined him on his knees on the floor and unbuttoned the suitcase. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the contents.

"Do you really need to take all your manga with you?"

"Yes!" Aiko looked at Conan as if the words he had spoken were an extreme taboo. Conan sniggered.

"These are all kids manga! Doraemon, Anpan man, Sailor Moon, Yaiba, Sergent Frog..." He took each of the titles out in turn and placed them on the floor.

"Sergent Frog isn't for kids!" Aiko said defensively.

"Sure, keep telling yourself that, I'll stick to Holmes, thanks. Oh yeah, You probably never read A Study in Scarlet did you?" Aiko flinched.

"Eeh...heheh...Maybe..." She stuttered, smiling nervously. Conan laughed and shook his head.

"I've known you long enough to know you won't read past the first page of something unless it has pretty pictures..." He jeered mockingly.

"You won't read past the first page IF it has pretty pictures..." Aiko retaliated. "No appreciation for fine art..."

"You call Sergent Frog _fine art_?" Conan sniggered. "It's manga!" Aiko simply stuck her tongue out at her childhood friend as he continued to rummage through her suitcase.

"Okay, Just pick one manga series and take that one, You don't need your whole collection."

"Yaiba then, I don't feel like I can enjoy my day if I haven't read Yaiba..."

"You have so many routines, Like regaling the class with magic shows ever morning, jumping out the window, reading Yaiba..." Conan stared at the ceiling as if recalling some wonderful childhood memory. "We know a lot about eachother don't we?" Conan smiled broadly at Aiko. She smiled back when really her stomach had plunged several feet. There was plenty he didn't know about her. That saddened her slightly.

"Um...Hey Aiko?" Conan began to fidget nervously with the draw strings on his hoodie.

"Hmm?" Conan hesitated, eyes glued to the floor. Why was he considering it now? Was he that impatient. But he knew if he said "Oh, nothing..." it would certainly leave questions in Aiko's head.

"Say, we've been friends since we were kids right?"

"Right?"

"...There's something I really need to get off my chest. We've known eachother for so long...I don't think I can hide it from you anymore..."

"I think I know what it is." Conan's eyes widened.

"Huh?"

"You're gay aren't you?" Conan fell face flat into Aiko's suitcase with a large explosion of kids manga scattering itself across the room. Aiko crossed her arms, looking proud of herself.

"Somehow I always had a hunch...Like that time you did say you were uninterested in peeking at women...That's when I started to suspect it..." She placed a hand on her chin thoughtfully, trying to look clever but failing. "Now, If you want me to keep quiet about this there will be certain fee's...Like you have to treat me to sweets every day for the rest of your life..."

"THAT'S NOT IT!" Conan yelled, flapping his arms frantically. He couldn't tell if Aiko was just teasing him or she had seriously assumed that. "No...Actually what I wanted to say is very much the opposite of that..."

"You're going to become a monk and be celibate for the rest of your life? That's so cool! I have always wanted to do that! Maybe I'll join you! We could go live in the middle of the jungle and go in the hot springs with all those furry monkeys!" Conan's sarcasm detector exploded.

"Shut up..." Conan hung his head. Maybe he should wait until they were in Paris.

"Well, which one is it...?" Aiko pried, leaning forwards with a malicious grin on her face. Conan could tell she had been toying with him from the start. He let out a sigh.

"Neither...I'll tell you some other time..." Then at that moment, Ran appeared at the door, sporting a blue striped apron displaying a picture of a cat with a frying pan. Aiko had always admired Ran's beauty. Time seemed to ignore both her and Shinichi, leaving them both without the effects of age while everything changed around them. While both of them were well into their forties, they were often asked how they managed to have a son with only 3 years age gap from them. Ran smiled at the two.

"Are you staying for dinner Aiko?" Aiko consulted Conan by glancing in his direction. He nodded.

"Yeah, why not?" Aiko grinned.

"Omelette rice it is then!" Ran said with a small giggle. "I'll call you two when it's done!" She called as she made her way down the corridor.

"Okay!" Aiko and Conan chorused. Suddenly Aiko was reminded of what Haibara had told her about Ran and Shinichi, how they viewed her of something of a daughter. Then she thought about her own parents. Was it just her or were the memories fainter than usual today? What did they look like? How did they used to act? The only thing she could see of her parents in a tide of memories was her tearful mother telling a nine-year old Aiko to go to bed and that dad would be there soon. But dad never came. Then Aiko remembered the morning, the police investigating the house at the call of a neighbour who had heard gunshot that night.

"_Oh good god, there's a kid here!" A particularly large police officer had approached her and lifted her up into his arms. The child looked at him strangely as if he weren't entirely human._

"_Hey!" The heavy officer called out of the door."There's a kid here!" With that, three other officers entered the house. One was a tall, stone-faced man who seemed to scream conformism without even trying, the other a shapely woman in her thirties and a medium height handsome man of similar age. She knew them from somewhere before. The tall officer lifted her out of the heavy officers arms._

"_What's your name, little girl?" He smiled somewhat stiffly._

"_Aiko." She said in a droning flat voice, one that told she was still failing to comprehend whether she was awake or not. She noticed the woman and the man exchanging looks of sadness._

"_What's going on...?" Aiko asked, rubbing her eyes. There was a long silence._

"_Aiko...Honey..." The woman stepped forwards and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry but...Your parents died last night."_


	25. Coincidence at the airport

_"For gods sake, leave me alone!" The girl screamed, hurling her books from her desk. They hit the floor causing the whole classroom to shudder slightly. The teacher recoiled, a look of concern on her face._

"_Aiko-chan, You have to--"_

"_I SAID GO AWAY!" Aiko stared up at her teacher, her eyes brimming with tears. The woman was tired of giving in to the puppy dog eyes. The girl wasn't going to continue to worm her way out of work for another three weeks._

"_AND I SAID YOU HAVE TO DO YOU'RE WORK!" The woman scraped up the books and dumped them on Aiko's desk with a loud slam, taking a pencil from the young girls pencil case and forcing it into her tiny hands. "WORK!" Aiko sat silent for a minute, before the tears began to drip slowly down her cheeks and onto her empty workbook, leaving grey splodges all over the blank white page._

"_You don't understand!" Aiko wailed. "NO-ONE UNDERSTANDS!" The soft wail escalated into a full on scream of rage. Aiko stood, this time knocking her entire desk over as she stormed out of the classroom. While everyone remained in their seats, only one boy followed her._

"_Aiko, wait!" he cried._

_Indeed, she was exactly where he predicted she would be, beneath the sakura blossom tree in Haido park. She was always there. The young boy approached the curled up figure and placed a hand on her shoulder cautiously as if he expected her to bite it off. She didn't but slapped the hand harshly away with her own._

"_What do you want, four eyes?" Conan remained silent. He simply sat down beside her. Aiko lifted her head from her knees to glare at him. Her face was scrunched and furious. She poked her tongue out at the boy before returning to the fetal postion, weeping into her knees._

"_You're annoying me, Go away."_

"_No." He said bluntly._

"_GO AWAY!"_

"_No." He repeated. Aiko shook her head multiple times, clasping her hair with her hands as if she intended to tear it out._

"_...LEAVE ME ALONE...!" Suddenly, she lunged, a fist striking the young boys face and knocking his glasses to the floor, the frames bent. She drew back her other fist to make another move but then stopped mid-motion when she saw his face. There were tears in the corners of his eyes, but he wasn't allowing himself to cry. She could sense pain but he wasn't showing it. He didn't say anything. He just continued to stare her in the eye. Aiko lowered her fist into her lap._

"_...Why...? Doesn't it hurt...?" Conan shook his head. Aiko gritted her teet, raising her fist again. Left jab, right into Conan's other cheek. Right jab, left jab, continuously. Conan's face was becoming gradually red and blotchy several small bruises forming. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Right jab, left jab._

"_WHY AREN'T YOU FIGHTING BACK?" Aiko screamed tearfully, delivering another swift jab to Conan's face. She stopped for a second to catch her breath. He stil just sat there, no crying, no wailing, no telling her to stop. He didn't even speak. Aiko breathed heavily and sat hunched over, softly and breathlessly crying. She sniffed, her shoulders shivering._

"_...I'm sorry...Conan...I'm..." she stopped to wipe her nose with the back of her hand, letting out a loud sob. "I'm sorry!" Conan reached for her slowly, his arms outstretched. Aiko's eyes widened. Oh god, he was going to hit her back. Well, she deserved it. Aiko flinched and awaited her retribution but rather than that, Conan pulled her into his arms. Aiko remained silent with shock then let out loud wail of sadness, before falling fully into Conan's embrace and crying with all her might. And they remained together until finally a frantic Ran and Shinichi came and collected from the children sunset bathed park._

Aiko opened her eyes slowly. The room was pitch black but she could barely make out Conan's sleeping face in the darkness. Of course, there was no point in her going home seeing as they were leaving some time around midnight, not to mention Conan was particularly insistent that she sleep over. Aiko checked her phone. They'd have to go in an hour or so. Aiko was looking forwards to this trip in more than one way. Not only would it be a great opportunity to see witness the sights, sounds, tastes and smells of France, she somehow imagined it would be a goldmine for rare gems. Her father and gradfather had carried out overseas heists before, why couldn't she?

The trip to the airport was a hassle as it had turned out Shinichi hadn't gotten round to packing and Ran had decided it was a good time to go into a coma. After lots of gratuitous arm flapping and shouting from Conan and Aiko, the travellers managed to get in the car only to realise they were out of gas and had to go borrow some from the Hakase who funnily enough was asleep. Luckily Ai wasn't and kindly opened the garage for them. Then Ran and Shinichi added a good few hours onto the journey by arguing about the way to the airport even to the point of having to pull over so they could yell at eachother fully without crashing. Conan assured Aiko they only argued on this level when they were both really tired. Conan and Aiko were asleep again by the time they reached their destination.

Aiko lazily tugged her suitcase across the sprawling hall that made up part of Haido airport, trailing behind Conan. As she stared blankly at the ceiling, she didn't see an oncoming suitcase which ended up sending her crashing to the floor. A woman with platinum blonde hair, obviously the owner of the suitcase, stared down at Aiko lying face flat on the floor before turning back to her phone.

"Ack, Aiko you klutz! C'mon, get up!" Conan rushed to her aid, shaking his head. As Aiko began to pick herself up slowly, something struck her as odd about the tones coming from the womans phone. The number she had dialed strongly resembled a song she had heard somewhere before. Suddenly, Shinichi was stood above her. His face was wrought with pure shock for some strange reason.

"Lets go." He said bluntly, tugging at Aiko's arm and hoisting her from the floor, all the while never taking his eyes off the woman with the platinum blonde hair.

"The plane has been delayed by a hour?" Aiko moaned, slumping back into her chair in the departure lounge. "Phooey. All the rush for nothing..."

"Sorry." Conan smiled apologetically, before reaching into a plastic bag he had slung around his arm and pulling out a can of coke. "Here." Aiko nodded in thanks and took the can as Conan sat down beside her, helping himself to a can of iced and Ran sat several seats down from the teenagers despite there being plenty of seats available. Whenever Aiko risked a glance in their direction, they always seemed to be huddled close together, speaking quickly and urgently, their expressions serious. And if they ever caught her looking they would simply smile and wave at her in that fashion that school girls do when the person at the receiving end of their backstabbing overhears their name among the hushed conversation and looks in their direction.

"Well, Isn't this a pleasant surprise." Aiko felt a light tap on her shoulder and turned to face a girl with a wide brimmed hat and large stereotypical celebrity sunglasses, sitting on the row back to back with her.

"Sorry, do I kno--" Then Aiko noticed boyish blonde hair reaching the nape of the girls neck and the pocket watch clasped in her hands. "No way..."

"My sentiments exactly. What in gods name are you doing here Kuroba?" It was indeed Shiori Hakuba, who tilted her oversized sunglasses to reveal her eyes and stared at Aiko questioningly.

"Hakuba! Who'd o' thunk it?" Aiko cried and threw her arms out as if expecting a hug from said blonde detective. Hakuba rolled her eyes. Immediately, the two adults next to the girl turned to face Aiko.

"Shiori, Is this a friend of yours?" The woman asked, smiling politely. Aiko blinked for a second and stared at the man and the woman who she assumed were Hakuba's parents. Anyone could've been forgiven for thinking they were triplets. Not only did Hakuba resemble her father perfectly, both parents almost looked exactly the same, only in male and female version.

"No, A colleague." Hakuba answered her mothers question.

"Aw, You're cold." Aiko mocked a sad face.

"Aiko Kuroba, Is that not correct?" Asked the tall handsome man sat beside Shiori's mother. This was obviously the Saguru Hakuba she had heard Kaito and Shiori herself mention several times. Both Saguru and Shiori spoke in the same highly polished style. She wasn't so sure about the mother though. Conan who had become engrossed in The Sign Of Four was completely ignorant to Aiko's conversation.

"What brings you to the airport, bookmark?" Aiko asked with a bright smile.

"I'll thank you never to use the term bookmark to refer to me in future. For your information, my parent's and I are simply here to catch a flight if you hadn't guessed already." Aiko's head began to spin. Agh, so many detectives! She was surrounded on all fronts!

"No, really?" Aiko turrned on the sarcasm.

"Oh yes, Really." Hakuba smiled wryly. "All Nippon Airways Flight 4562 to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, leaving in approximately 1 hour and 56 minutes over the schedualed time, if my calculations are correct. Estimated landing time, I have yet to determine." Aiko rolled her eyes and wondered if Hakuba had ever had childhood or had just sat around all day studying the mathematics of time. Then she realised something.

"You have got to be kidding me! We're getting that flight too!"

"I can tell this next week with be a living hell." Before Aiko could open her mouth to make another sarcastic comment, she heard another voice she recognised a little to well.

"This is inconvenient mother, Why do you suddenly decide you want to jetset off to Paris like this?" Her eyes found the voices owner, and unfortunately his eyes found her. Aiko turned quickly and attempted to strike up a conversation with Conan but all she seemed to be able to get out of him was "Hmm..." and "Yeah..." Aiko began to panic when she realised the boy was storming towards her at thunderous speed, abandoning a tall, crimson haired woman dressed in a very elegant black dress who Aiko assumed to be his mother.

"Kuroba!" Akai slammed a hand on her shoulder and swung her round to face him. Aiko smiled nervously.

"He-he-hello!" Akai's presence finally snapped Conan away from his novel.

"What might you be doing here?" He demanded.

"Taking a holiday, No harm in that is there?" Aiko laughed nervously.

"Oh really, Not putting your sticky fingers over anything this time?" Aiko noticed Conan's confused stare and played ignorant.

"What? You know half of the time I have no idea what you are on about!" Aiko flapped a hand at Akai.

"Akai, Stop trying to pick up girls and hurry up!" A call came from the woman stood across the hall. Akai gave Aiko one last scornful glare and returned to his mothers side. This was too much to be a coincidence.

* * *

_A/N: Just in case any of you were confused Shiori means Bookmark apparently, But I'm not entirely sure. I picked out a name randomly on one of those Japanese name meaning websites_.


	26. Some shocking revelations

Aiko's stomach churned as she watched the red-headed mother and son stroll across the departure lounge towards the duty free. She glanced at the Hakuba family, then back to the Koizumi family then at her knee's due to lack of other places to look. If she hadn't been so engrossed in her knee's, she would've noticed Conan was staring at her rather strangely.

"You and Akai seem awfully...close..." He commented. Aiko looked up at him quickly, shock in her eyes that he would come to such a conclusion.

"No! In fact I hate him!" Aiko shook her head frantically.

"He's not blackmailing you about any secrets is he? That seems like the most likely option from all the conversation I've picked up."

"Nah, Not really..." Aiko turned to see where Akai was. They were already leaving the duty free. Aiko then noticed Akako's face changing as if she had just noticed something unbelievably horrifying. Aiko furrowed her brow and followed Akako's horrified stare. It headed straight to Saguru Hakuba.

"Say Conan." Aiko turned back to her friend. "I've noticed you've been particularly quite of late, Any reason for that?" Conan stared at her blankly.

"Not really..." He turned back to his detective novel. Very convincing. Aiko slid onto her knee's and leant forwards towards Conan, her nose almost pressed against his cheek, a harsh glare plastered across her face as if she was attempting to read his mind. Conan turned and ,upon coming into such close proximity with her face, blushed and backed away slightly.

"W-what?" He stammered.

"There is definitely something on your mind." Aiko quipped thoughtfully.

"Not at all, Y'know we all have quite moods."

"Righto. Should the need arise, You can always talk to moi." Aiko gave Conan a double thumbs up. He simply nodded and returned to his book. That wasn't right. Aiko definitely detected a whiff of a sea dwelling animal which she feared greatly and could also be used as a metaphor for something suspicious. Conan was glad that Aiko was unable to infiltrate the windmills of is mind (At least he assumed). All his thoughts were focused on strategy. His strategy which would ultimately build up to his confession of his true feelings. Truthfully the silence was all a part of it. Then he'd surprise her by reverting back to his normal self once they reached Paris thus provoking Aiko's relief and happiness, They'd explore the city and then when they had a moment alone, when the time was just right...

"Conan? Conan?" Aiko poked him in the temple. "You're zoning major here." Conan slid a hand around the back of his head and laughed nervously.

"Hah, Sorry." Aiko recoiled at sat back down with a large sigh. She glanced around. The Hakuba family were chatting with one another, Akako and Akai were sat on the other side of the departure lounge, Akai staring daggers at Aiko, Akako seemingly going out of her way not to look in that direction, Shinichi and Ran still talking amongst themselves quietly.

_Passengers for ANA Flight 4562 to Paris, please go to gate 14._

"Ah!" Aiko looked up at the display screen above her. "I guess they weren't delayed after all!" Small clusters of people began to stand and make their way towards gate 14, families, students, business men. By coincidence the Koizumi family happened to end up tightly juxtaposed to the Hakuba family in the crowd of Paris goers. Suddenly, Akako's foot became caught on that of a loudly talking business man, pushing his way harshly through the crowd. As Akako began to fall, a pair of strong arms intervened and saved her from her fate. The woman raised her head to see who had caught her. Both parties looked purely shocked upon eye contact.

"Koizumi-san...!"

"Saguru!" Akako stuttered and quickly straightened herself. Natsuki Hakuba turned.

"You know this woman, dear?" Natsuki asked, protectively hooking an arm around Saguru's. Saguru nodded rigidly.

"Yes...We are..." he breathed heavily. "..Acquaintances..." Hakuba then caught sight of Akai standing behind his mother, a Nintendo DS in hand, and all the color drained from his face.

"Who's that?" he enquired casually, slapping on a calm face. Akako tugged her son into full view, much to his irritation.

"This is Akai, My son."

Akai grunted as a greeting, still not taking his eyes off the Nintendo. Hakuba nodded.

"Right. Just out of curiosity, How old is he?" Hakuba asked. Akako glared.

"16."

"Right..." Hakuba repeated. "Right..." Natsuki stared, suddenly very confused. Aiko wasn't exactly comprehending the situation either from her standpoint a little further back in the crowd.

The seating arrangement was pretty much to Aiko's advantage, her next to the window, Conan in the middle, and on the end (Although she had insisted it was because all the other seats were full) Hakuba. Aiko smiled to herself as the plane began to roll slowly along the runway. Shinichi and Ran were sat towards the back of the plane, the parents of the Hakuba family towards the front and Aiko had yet to locate the Koizumi family. The plane was slowly beginning to make it's accent. Aiko's eye suddenly caught a woman with platinum blonde hair, the same one who's suitcase she had tripped over, sitting on the other side of the plane, typing something on a laptop.

When the seat belt sign had finally been turned off, Natsuki turned to her husband and smiled.

"I'm just going to go and see how Shiori is doing, 'kay?" She squeezed Saguru's hand lovingly. Hakuba nodded and placed a kiss on her forehead. No sooner had Natsuki set off down the aisle, did a very serious looking Akako storm in and take her place. Hakuba's eyes widened as the woman sat down next to him.

"Koizumi-san, What are you doing?" He hissed. Akako glared at him and placed her hands in her lap.

"We need to have a little chat..."

"Aka—Koizumi-san, This isn't the best time!" Saguru glanced around frantically.

"Why do you call me Koizumi-san, Saguru?!" Akako spat, with extra emphasis on the word Saguru. "You aren't fooling anyone!"

"What are you talking about--?"

"You know very well what I'm talking about, I bet you never told Natsuki about our little...how shall we say...encounter...before you two met again?"

"Well of course not, That's not information Natsuki needs to know! I don't make a point of listing all my previous relationships to my wife!" Hakuba was beginning to become increasingly panicky.

"Why not? I'm sure she'd be thrilled to know little Shiori has an older half brother!" Akako's voice was almost a shout. Luckily Natsuki was nowhere nearby. There was a long silence. Akako let out a long breath and averted her eyes and remained silent for a few seconds. Hakuba shook his head.

"You're not serious."

"I am serious!" Akako stared up at him, looking as if she was about to burst into tears. But he knew she couldn't. "For gods, sake Saguru! You're so thick! You can see everything when it isn't even necessary! But when it really matters you're just plain...BLIND! You're his father!" Hakuba was as rigid as stone. "And..." Akako paused as if she meant to continue but never did. Without another word, Akako stood and stormed off down the aisle. Hakuba let out a sigh and buried his head in his hands.

"Something wrong dear?" Natsuki was beside him now, a hand on his shoulder.

"No, I'm fine..."

Aiko let out a loud yawn, resting her elbow on the window ledge. She had lost track of the time. She turned another page of Yaiba, but found she had lost the will to read and put the manga back in her bag. Another yawn. Conan was asleep, Hakuba was listening to music and reading by the looks of things. Suddenly, Aiko felt something landing on her lap. Upon looking down, It turned out to be Conan's head. Aiko blushed.

"He-hey! Conan!" She hissed. But he really was fast asleep. Aiko was about to move his head upright but her heart melted upon seeing his sleeping face. Aiko lowered her hands and ran one softly through Conan's hair. He moaned and shifted a little, mumbling something indistinguishably in his sleep. Hakuba smirked at Aiko, still running her hands through Conan's hair, enjoying how soft it was.

"Having fun there Kuroba?" Hakuba chuckled. Aiko wasn't listening as she was debating in her head whether to draw on Conan's face or not. "I must say I envy you slightly." Now that got her attention. Aiko turned to Hakuba in shock.

"Huh?"

"I suppose you can consider me your rival. In more than one way."

"You mean you like...?" Aiko looked frantically from Conan to Hakuba then back again several times.

"You could say I've taken a little interest in Kudo, yes." Hakuba smiled maliciously. "Do you accept the duel?"

"I-it's not like that with me and him...honestly..." Aiko quickly turned her attention to the window to hide her roaring blush.

"Oh? All the easier for me then!" Hakuba sounded pleased. Aiko all of a sudden felt a rush of anger.

"D-Don't!" She cried suddenly. Hakuba looked back up from her magazine.

"Why not? I thought you said it "wasn't like that between you and him" right?"

"It isn't! But..." Aiko looked down at Conan. "...He's actually quite a lady killer, He's like Lupin III! Me and him have been lovers millions of times, But I'm usually his last ditch resort. Runs off into the sunset whenever he see's a prettier girl." Aiko laughed casually. She had never felt such a strange feeling inside her. An intense protectiveness and jealousy. _If you lay even one finger on him, I'll break every bone in your body_ would be the only phrase Aiko could think to describe the situation. She never thought she'd feel so...agressive....When it came to Conan.


	27. Paris

"Hey Aiko, Wake up." Her vision blurred then focused then faded out all together then returned and focused. It seemed the tables had turned on her at some point. She had fallen asleep with Conan on her lap and ended up being carried off the plane and was now sat in the back of a taxi, her head in Conan's lap. He smiled down at her, and she smiled wearily back up at him, stretching and yawning.

"Are we there yet?"

"Almost. The hotel isn't far from here..."

"We don't have to go to any parties do we...?" Aiko mumbled. She hadn't quite woken up yet.

"Um..No. We aren't meeting up with mum and dad's friends until tomorrow."

"Good, good." Aiko groaned, letting out another loud yawn. Conan reached down and ran a hand through her hair, exactly as she had done to him. Only she was awake. Aiko blushed and attempted to sit up.

"Look out the window." Aiko straightened herself and did as she was told. Her eye's widened at the glowing intricate structure before her.

"It's the Eiffel tower! Wow! It looks so...! It's beautiful! It's like the Tokyo tower only...even bigger and much more beautiful!" Conan smiled at her fascination.

"I thought you'd like it." Aiko turned, her cheeks rosy.

"Thanks so much Conan!" The two were completely unaware of Shinichi and Ran in the two front seats, smiling to themselves and whispering quietly about "young love".

The hotel amazed Aiko. The large glass facade reflected the entire city and Aiko had almost broken her neck craning to see the top. The main entrance was a sprawling great marble floored hall, a restaurant and wine bar smack in the middle, the scents of exotic cuisine floating their way across from the kitchen, and in the middle of the circular restaurant was a gigantic cubical glass tube, reaching all the way to the ceiling, filled entirely with shelves of wine, brightly glowing with blue neon lights.

"Noticed you admiring the wine tower there." Shinichi commented. "I've been here before on a previous case, the higher up the wine, the more expensive it is. They have someone on a harness go up and get them. The wines may be expensive but they're worth it. The food is to die for too."

"Wow..." Aiko marvelled. Aiko and Conan quietly trailed along behind Shinichi and Ran as they walked up to the reception desk. Aiko was amazed when Shinichi began speaking fluently in French.

"There's another hotel like this one in Berlin with an aquarium." Conan informed Aiko. "The largest cylindrical one in the world." Aiko was speechless, still admiring the wine tower. As the group began to make their way away from the reception desk and towards the lift, Conan's courage advanced a step. Slowly, he reached and took Aiko's hand, squeezing it tight as they entered the lift. Aiko stared down at her hand intertwined with Conan's and wondered if he had a morbid fear of heights or small spaces or any other phobia which might cause him to grasp her hand in fear. But when she saw him smiling at her, her heart began to thump uncontrollably.

"Hope you and Conan don't mind sharing a room." Ran said suddenly. Aiko had been too lost in her imagination to realise they were now in the corridor of the top floor standing in between two hotel rooms.

"Eh?" Aiko blinked. "But--?"

"If you aren't comfortable with that, me and you can share and Conan and Shinichi can have the other room, how does that sound?" Ran smiled. "It'll be like a sleepover!" Aiko shook her head.

"No, It's okay. You and Shinichi should go together, you are married after all, I don't mind putting up with Conan."

" 'S your funeral." Shinichi grinned handed Aiko the key.

"Hey!" Conan frowned.

"If he gets out of line, Let us know." Ran smiled and ruffled her sons hair. Conan blushed and glared at the floor. Ran was the type who if she spotted you in town, would run up and hug you even if you were surrounded by friends.

Aiko let out a loud sigh, flopping down onto the bed. Although it was only supposed to be a double, it looked like it could've easily accommodated four fully grown adults. Conan sat down on the opposite side. _It just had to be a double bed didn't it?_ He thought to himself. Someone was torturing him. Aiko sat, admiring the hotel room.

"It's nice isn't it?" Aiko smiled at Conan. It was surprisingly early on in the evening, the sun still not quite set, giving the whole room a luminous orange glow. Conan nodded.

"Hmm..."

"Well!" Aiko tugged back the duvet and pulled herself in without bothering to put on her pajamas. "I'm sure tomorrow is gonna be a busy one, so I'm gonna hit the sack." She tossed several of the unnecessary throw pillows to one side and made herself comfortable, pulling her Doraemon pillow and several other stuffed animals from her suitcase.

"Night!"

"Night..." Conan replied almost noiselessly. He was tired, but in no mood to sleep. Slowly he stood and strolled towards the window, resting his forehead on the glass panes with a large sigh. Slowly, upon noticing the steam formed on the window, he extended a finger and drew a small A in the frost, but then drew his finger away, leaving the word unfinished.

"Aiko...?" No answer.

"C'mon people don't fall asleep that quickly." But apparently they did. Upon inspection, Aiko was fast asleep. Conan stood above her for a while before crouching down so their faces were level. Slowly, he placed a hand on her cheek and began to stroke it gently. He gulped.

"I love you." He uttered silently. His hand moved down, tracing along her red lips. Slowly he moved forwards but hesitated. Yet again he couldn't do it. Instead he leant and placed a kiss on her forehead. With that, Conan stood, not wanting to get to carried away, and made his way towards the armchair beside the window. Aiko clasped the sheets tight, staring out into oblivion, her breath lost somewhere. He told her he loved her. Aiko felt awful. Now with these confirmed feelings, it was going to be much harder to go through with her plan. At the airport, while Conan had been so blissfully unaware, she had borrowed his laptop to look up any jewels that might be of value in Paris. Of course she had found something but...Aiko mumbled and pretended to be turning in her sleep. She opened one eye a crack. Conan was just staring at the sunset. Slowly, she pulled herself deeper into the sheets and tried to sleep. But she knew that would be impossible now.

Aiko's eyes snapped open. What a creepy dream that had been. In the end she had managed to sleep only to end up having a very strange nightmare. One where she had been Kid, running through the streets because her hang glider wouldn't work and then all of a sudden, Conan was stood before her, a gun in his hand. Then he shot. Then everything went black. Aiko shivered and rolled over.

"Yeek!" She found herself face to face with Conan, who despite the masses of room had somehow shifted very close to her in the night. Aiko gulped and moved backwards slowly, slipping from under the covers. That's right, she had gone to sleep in her clothes. Aiko stumbled slightly sleepily across the room and flung open the curtains dramatically, stepping out onto the balcony, Aiko cried at the top of her lungs "Good morning Paris!" ,arms outstretched. She then giggled to herself, wishing that Conan had been awake to see that. Some people on the opposite building (The hotel was split into two parts) eating their breakfast on the balcony were looking at her rather strangely. She smiled and waved at them.

"Good morning!"The pretended not to see her. Aiko smiled and stepped back inside.

"Geez, That's just like you, Causing such a ruckus first thing in the morning." Conan sat up in bed wearily and smiled at her. Aiko smiled back.

"Good morning Conan!" she shouted a little louder than necessary. He winced, ears not quite ready for Aiko's shouting. There was knock on the door connecting their room with Ran and Shinichi's suddenly.

"Get ready you two, We're leaving in half an hour!" called Ran's voice.

"Okaaay!" The two chorused in unison.

Aiko skipped merrily behind Conan along the streets of Paris. Although she couldn't help feeling slightly uncomfortable knowing she was the only one in the party who didn't speak a word of French (Even Conan seemed on the speedboat towards fluency) she was just enjoying herself. She had always loved going to other countries. It was chiefly due to the fact her parents had both been travellers. Her father had insisted that they were always business trips, but Aiko had never seen any of her fathers so-called business. Probably stealing gems if anything. But Aiko had been blissfully ignorant at the time. Paris was a nice place. She was sure that her and Conan had been to France together before at a very young age, to a villa somewhere in the French countryside. But the city was different. It seemed like a very elegant and trendy place to her yet at the same time it was somewhat quaint, an even mix of the two. Wide flat avenues and neo-classical stone buildings, brick streets lined with bikes, pedestrian stretches and outdoor cafes with ice-cream and crepe stands and coffee machines. Aiko smiled to herself, a little lost in her own world.

"Now..." Ran turned and smiled at the two teenagers. "We're meeting our friends at a cafe in a shopping arcade. Do you two want to explore Paris on your own today? You can make it back to the hotel alone, can't you? It's on that card I gave you two this morning. The address" Aiko squeaked slightly. Alone?

"Eh? Really?" Conan looked just as shocked as her. Ran smiled.

"I'm sure you don't want to sit around listening to us talking about boring business stuff do you?"

"Oh no, But...umm..." Conan looked slightly anxious. "We should at least say hi." Ran smiled again.

"Sure!" Aiko stared up at the clear sky. They reached the arcade before she returned to earth. Of course, lots of hugging and "It's so good to see you!" and cheek kissing ensued. Lots of friendly cooing and "Let's catch up! Haven't seen you for years!". Conan and Aiko were stood rather awkwardly in the corner. After they'd offered little nods, smiles and quiet "Hello"'s to Ran and Shinichi's friends, the two made their way from the cafe. Before they had even advanced two steps. Aiko was met by the same wide rimmed hat, white sleeveless dress and pale pink cardigan around the waist and over sized celebrity style sunglasses she had seen at the airport. The teenage detective tipped her said glasses.

"Kuroba, Are you sure you aren't following me?"

* * *

_Heh, I know nothing about Paris, Never been there. It's easier writing about places I've been too, But I didn't want to do Thailand or London or Greece, they weren't quite...detective-y enough...Well, I've already done London in one of my other fics, So I didn't want to do it again XD Anyway, I did alot of Wikipedia-ing and Googling. ^^_


	28. Tea along Champs Elysess

"Bookmark! My oldest and dearest friend! I've missed you!" Aiko rather literally glomped Hakuba who struggled to keep her balance upon having Aiko's weight thrust upon her. Grimacing, she removed the young magician from around her shoulders.

"I don't think I need to remind that I do in no way favour the term 'bookmark'!" Hakuba put her hands on her hips. "And you have little, if no, reason at all to miss me, We saw each other yesterday on the plane journey over here. Now if you'll please I have jetlag and a splitting headache...Well, The headache is as of a few minutes ago, When I registered your presence..."

"This is a weird co-incidence, Why do we keep running into you?" Conan commented. Suddenly Hakuba turned, her scowl immediately transforming into a pleasant smile.

"Kudo! You're looking well this morning!" Conan smiled and bowed slightly

"You too. Where are your parents?"

"Oh, They suggested we split up and meet back at the hotel, God only knows what their up to. You?"

"Same, Our--" He stopped and looked at Aiko. "--My parents are meeting friends, They told us to go off on our own."

"Good, Fancy a stroll along Champs Elysess? It's not far from here?" Hakuba enquired. Aiko stared from Hakuba to Conan to Hakuba several time, a look of mortification on her face. What did this girl think she was playing at. Conan turned to Aiko.

"That okay with you, Aiko?" Aiko plastered on a happy face.

"Hmm! I've always wanted to see Champs Elysess!" Aiko smiled but the minute Conan and Hakuba had turned their backs she allowed her smile to drop. She was going to make it her personal mission to see that Hakuba didn't go within 100 meters of Conan.

Champs Elysess was indeed nice around this time of day. Aiko wasn't paying much attention though. She was sure Hakuba and Conan were talking about something but she wasn't sure what. Then she noticed something.

"Hey, Conan?" Aiko approached slowly. She had been lingering behind the two for a while. He turned sharply, looking almost a little nervous.

"Y-yeah?"

"Why do you keep checking your watch?"

"Yes, I have noticed that." Hakuba commented. Conan looked around nervously for a few seconds.

"Um..." He began. "Well, I dunno. Just keeping track of the time I suppose."

It wasn't long before the group stopped at a cafe for drinks. The sun was blaring down, Aiko stirred the ice-cubes in her lemon ice tea, staring at the swishing brown liquid. She knew if she didn't attempt to make conversation soon, Conan was definitely going to get all...question...asking-y...like he always did. She hated it when he did that. She knew he was just concerned but having so many secrets under her hat, she didn't like anyone prying to deeply. Hakuba leant forwards, smiling sweetly at Conan while stirring her English tea. No matter what angle Aiko looked at the situation, all she saw herself as was Conan's annoying little sister tagging along on his first date because his parents weren't home.

"So anyway, Kudo..." Hakuba took a sip of tea. English tea seemed to be the fuel of the Hakuba family, Even for Natsuki who wasn't even British. "...I hear you saved Mai Kuraki from kidnappers once." Conan laughed.

"Yeah, It's weird. My dad did the same with Two-mix, I guess my family must run into celebraties a lot."

"Remember, we got to go up on stage with Naifu that time after you pushed one of them out of the path of a bullet." Aiko laughed.

"I can't sing..." Conan hung his head slightly embarrassed.

"Well, obviously. With your dad." Aiko laughed. "But don't worry, I couldn't sing if my life depended on it."

"Oh really?" Hakuba looked smug, like she had just pinpointed a way to upstage Aiko somehow, which she had. "I was a soprano in the school choir all the way through Secondary until I came here. I even got approached by a talent agent once, but father chased him away."

"Really?" Aiko suddenly felt slightly panicked when she noticed Conan looking impressed.

"I could've gone into professional magic, I used to help dad out when I was little!" Aiko blurted. "They say I'm a natural!" To prove her point, she clicked her fingers and a dove leaped from beneath Hakuba's wide rimmed hat, causing the British girl to squeak.

"Amazing..." Hakuba didn't look even slightly amused. "Kuroba, do you play tennis?"

"Hm? No. Why would I?"

"Oh, just thought I'd let you know that I'm a professional at that among other things. I've played in a proper tournament." Conan was obviously sensing competition as he was beginning to look slightly nervous. Aiko gritted her teeth.

"My father was one of the greatest magicians of all time." She retorted.

"My father _is_ the greatest detective of all time." Hakuba smirked. Something about how Hakuba stressed the "is" hurt Aiko deeply. She saw it in Hakuba's eyes. _My father isn't dead! Hah! _Aiko choked back a lump in her throat.

"No he isn't. Shinichi-san has him beat hands down." Conan turned to Aiko and stared. "He's 10 times the detective your father is." Hakuba let out a sigh. In an innocent movement, which to the untrained eye would just seem as if she was crossing her arms, Hakuba's hand caught Aiko's ice tea, sending it flying all over Aiko who toppled over backwards on her chair. With a roaring blush, Conan adverted his eyes. Quite a view she was giving everyone.

"Oh dear! I'm so sorry!" Hakuba very unconvincingly apologised yet made no attempt to help Aiko, simply leaving Conan to attempt to mop up the spilled ice tea. Aiko crawled to her feet, standing her chair upright. She took advantage of Conan being preoccupied and leaned across the table, bringing herself face to face with Hakuba. Looking intimidating while dripping with ice tea is alot easier said than done.

"_Stay away from him." _Aiko hissed. Hakuba raised an eyebrow with an amused grin.

"Not so "not like that between us" anymore are we, Kuroba?" She giggled.

"It isn't, But Conan is my oldest and dearest friend. As his oldest and dearest friend, it's my job to keep him out of trouble."

"I suppose that playboy drivel you fed me on the plane is crap then?"

"Yes." Conan returned to his feet, climbing back into his chair.

"Hakuba, might I point out you're being slightly rude?" Conan commented. Hakuba stared blankly, feigning an expression of confusion.

"What're you talking about?"

"What are you two competing about? There's no reason to fight, this is the perfect setting!"

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know?" Hakuba sneered. "Well, It's an interesting story, You should've seen Kuroba's face when you feel asleep on her lap on the plane--"

"HAKUBA!" Aiko growled. Conan went bright red.

"Bu-but, When I woke up, I was sitting upright!"

"Yes, I did that." Conan stared between the two girls frantically. Hakuba decided it was time to move in for the kill. "I suppose you weren't aware that Kuroba here seems to be tasting the lemon-like bitterness of first love, the object of her affections being y--" The rest of Hakuba's words were cut of by Aiko who took the liberty of throwing Conan's drink (Iced coffee) in Hakuba's face as revenge for the ice-tea episode. Hot tea seemed a little harsh. Hakuba spluttered, staring in open mouthed shock at her drenched clothes.

"Doesn't feel good does it?" Aiko yelled. Conan shot her a look of utter horror.

"Aiko, What are you doing?" He cried. "This isn't like you at all!"

"I was having a fine time until madam prissy showed up!" Aiko cried angrily and gestured to Hakuba. She stood abruptly, slamming her palms down on the circular white table. "I should go back to the hotel and read my kids manga while you two discuss all the cases you've solved and all the professional lacrosse tournaments or whatever you've participated in! Wouldn't want to ruin your good time, oh no." With a stomp, and her chair returning to the floor, Aiko dashed of across the wide flat pavements of Champs Elysess, leaving a shocked Conan and a furious Hakuba sitting directly in the center of attention, all other cafe-goers staring at them in wide eyed curiosity.

Aiko let out a sniff, dragging her palm across her face while she ran blindly down the avenue. She admitted it, she had been childish. But Hakuba had been pressing all the wrong buttons on purpose. Not that that excused her behavior, it was safe to say that both the quirky magician and the proper detective were both completely out of order. When she was sure she had gone far enough for it to take Conan a while to find her, Aiko stopped and let out a sob. Needless to say, she was attracting rather a large amount of attention, a lone Japanese tourist sobbing her eyes out in the middle of the roads of Champs Elysess. She stared up, still a little bleary eyed. Aiko could see the Arc de Triomphe quite nicely from her standpoint. Now that she'd soaked Hakuba in iced coffee and effectively gotten herself rather lost, she wondered what to do.

"Oi! Kuroba!" She froze. That broad Kansai accent. No way, not another one. Was everyone she knew here in Paris!? Aiko turned to see the exact person she had been expecting to see. "It is you! Took a wild guess, thought it was someone else for a second." Yuma skidded to a halt in front of her ,grinning in a manner of which only the Hattori family seemed capable.

"Yuma!" Aiko smiled, quickly wiping away the remains of her tears. "Wow! This is freaky. What are you doing here?"

"I've lost my little sister." He laughed, scratching the back of his head. "Haven't seen her have you? About this height, dark-ish skin, big ears, medium length black hair and answers to the name of Ayano..."

"No sorry. How did you loose her?"

"I was just walking, then suddenly I realised she wasn't there." Aiko let out a small "ppppfff" before bursting out laughing. She had been holding it in right from the word go. Yuma blinked, wondering in vain what on earth that Aiko found so funny. When she had finally regained her composure, Aiko smiled and asked:

"What brings you to Champs Elysess?"

"My mum's pregnant, AGAIN!" Yuma rolled his eyes. "This is kinda like a celebratory holiday, even though they didn't find out until we got here, So I'm kinda stuck here for a while...I swear if it's another girl--"

"Ayano isn't your only sister?"

"Nah, Got little Kokoro too, She's only four. Ayano's thirteen. Mum and Dad are probably having a romantic daytime meal together, Ayano was supposed to be looking after Kokoro but--"

"Wait, you lost them BOTH?"

"Haha..."

"Jesus, I'll help you look for them. What kind of parents are letting a four and thirteen year old wander around on their own!" Aiko gave Yuma a smile before the two teenagers began their search for the lost Kokoro and Ayano.


	29. Eiffel tower

"So you got mad and ran off?"

"Mn-hm." Aiko nodded, casting her gaze down towards the pavement with a pout. "I dunno why though, Just something about Hakuba was really...I try to be nice to her but she still acts like a total--"

"Ugh, I understand." Yuma grimaced. "She's such a stuck up little miss, prancing around and telling everybody how fantastic she is..." Aiko felt slightly warm inside that she had found someone who agreed with her. Even Conan seemed to think Hakuba was "nice". Yuma seemed like a genuinely nice boy, he was very easy to talk to and friendly but none the less a little bit thick, especially for a detective. Even so, Aiko didn't know why, Yuma seemed to have one of those face's which just made you want to go rushing to him with all your problems. Despite the fact the two teenagers were roaming the streets of Paris looking for his two sisters who had vanished into thin air, he was a very loving brotherly character.

"YUMA-NIIICHAAAAN!" Came a very loud shrill voice. Yuma turned.

"Ayano!" Aiko turned to see the so called Ayano. Across the very wide and very busy traffic-wise road (to the point where crossing looked impossible) stood a short girl, fitting Yuma's description exactly with shoulder length black hair, large ears which gave her something of a monkey like quality, clad in a green gingham summer dress. She looked thoroughly angry, a young girl at her side, who obviously must have been Kokoro. Kokoro was a petit, pale skinned (Quite unlike her two older siblings) girl, dark brown hair tied into four small spiky bunches on the back of her head with little red ribbons.

"STAY THERE! WE'LL COME OVER TO YOU!" Yuma called from across the road. "Geez...Those two..." Quickly, Yuma and Aiko made their way across the road. It certainly wasn't easy but they made it eventually.

"Niichan, You idiot!" Ayano scolded her brother. "You know I can't walk as fast as you, I've got Kokoro with me!"

"Ahaha...Sorry, sorry." Yuma laughed nervously. Ayano's expression changed as she turned her attention to Aiko.

"This your girlfriend Yuma?" She grinned.

"Ahou, She's just a friend. This is Aiko Kuroba." Aiko and Ayano exchanged greetings. Aiko then turned to Yuma and smiled.

"Well, you've found your sisters now so I suppose I'll be making my way back to the hotel."

"Aww, Really?" Yuma looked a little disappointed. "I was thinking of heading on over to the Arc de Triomphe." Aiko shook her head apologetically.

"Thanks but I'm sure Conan's probably wondering where I am, and I bet the first place he'll look is the hotel." Right on cue, Aiko's cellphone began to chirp. She gave Yuma, Ayano and Kokoro a quick wave and turned around to answer her call.

"Hello?"

"Aiko, where are you?" It was Conan. "I kept ringing you but you weren't picking up!"

Aiko laughed. "Ah, No worry, I'm somewhere near the Arc de Triomphe, It's a funny story actually, I ran into Yuma on the way and he'd lost his two younger sisters so I helped him look for them."

"Yuma's here? Geez. Anyway Aiko, Hakuba apologises, Come back, wherever you are..."

"That I highly doubt, but awww...I just can't stay mad at Hakuba!" Aiko yet again caused a severe amount of damage to Conan's sarcasm detector.

"Hey Aiko, Mind if I ask you something? What exactly where you two arguing about?" Aiko gulped. What was she supposed to say? How was it possible that he was detective when things seemed to fly over his head so easily?

"Ahahaa..." She laughed nervously. "Funny, I was so overcome by rage I forgot."

"Cut it out."

"Sorry."

"Anyway, I need you to come back."

"Eeeeh?" Aiko screeched in a very high pitched voice, dramatically placing a hand on her cheek. "Could it be that Kudo-sempai is worrying about me? Eeek, It makes my heart beat so fast, doki doki!" Judging from the unamused sigh on the other end, Conan wasn't in the mood for her jokes today. The Hattori's were all watching this phone call mentally questioning if Aiko had a few screws loose, with the exception of Kokoro who seemed to find tugging at Ayano's skirt a lot more amusing.

"Quit acting like an anime schoolgirl and get back here. We're near the cafe area."

"O-kaaay. I'll bring Yuma too! Oh, did he tell you the good news? His mum's pregnant!"

"Fantastic, Please come back here Aiko."

"Seeya in a sec!" Aiko slapped the lid of her phone shut with a satisfied smile, placing her hands on her hips. Then she realized she had no idea how to get back to the cafe. Regardless, she flung a clenched fist into the air. "RIGHT! Let's go!" The party solidered on into the unknown.

By the time Aiko and her comely comrade actually located Conan and Hakuba she was pretty sure that a good hour of aimless wondering had passed. The sun was begging to sink slightly. The two were propped up against a pillar next to several rather expensive looking clothing stores.

"Aiko!" Conan rushed to her immediately, Hakuba following very reluctantly. "You two need to apologise to eachother!" Aiko groaned.

"Aww, C'mon!" Conan scowled, although it quickly fell away into an expression of hopelessness.

"Please..." He moaned.

"Okay, Okay!" Hakuba and Aiko stood before one another, arms crossed as if at the beginning of a large face off rather than an apology.

"I apologise for my actions earlier."

"Wwry..." Aiko mumbled, like a child being forced to apologise by her parents, earning her a slap over the head from Conan. "Ow geez! Okay! Sorry, Sorry!" Conan smiled and nodded.

"That's better." Then he did it again. Something Aiko noticed he had been doing all day. He checked his watch with a nervous expression. Aiko tilted her head slightly and began to muse to herself over all the reasons Conan could possibly be checking his watch, while Conan and Yuma exchanged friendly banter. He had been a lot more relaxed since the plane journey, during which Aiko had noticed his mood was particularly strange but he still had a slightly nervous edge to him. As if he was planning something. And it needed to be perfect.

"Hey!" Conan blurted out. "Y'know, what would a trip to Paris be without visiting the Eiffel tower!" He sounded particularly dramatic, as if putting on a big act for some hidden cameras. Aiko blinked.

"Sure, why not?"

"Sounds cool!" Ayano placed her hands behind her head. "Hey! Wasn't there supposed to be that big firewo--" Suddenly, Conan clamped a hand over the thirteen year olds mouth.

"Firewo--?" Aiko narrowed her eyes.

"Firewood!" Conan finished Ayano's sentence. "Ayano-chan was saying we should get some firewood and have a fire later!" Aiko was all but convinced.

"Conan niichan!" Ayano hissed, close to his ear. "What did you do that for?"

"Listen, Ayano. I need to you to keep that thing a secret from that neechan, okay?"

"Why?"

"Because."

Aiko noted it mentally, having Yuma and Hakuba in an enclosed space together for a long amount of time was NOT, repeat, NOT a good idea at all. The whole taxi journey the two had been at each others necks constantly. Aiko thought she and Hakuba were bad, well in was nothing compared to watching the Brit and and the Osakan face off. Aiko was worried the cab driver was going to kick them out. By the time the group had reached their destination, it had grown considerably dark. Aiko stared up in wonder at the tower before her.

"It's glowing!" Aiko exclaimed, jumping with excitement on the spot. "Wow! It's so much bigger than I imagined! It's just...Wow!" Conan smiled warmly before quickly consulting his watch again.

"Let's go all the way to the top! C'mon!" Conan suddenly swept Aiko into the lift, before anyone around them had a chance to comprehend the situation, the doors had closed and Aiko and Conan were already zooming towards the summit.

"Ah! Idiot! You left the others behind!" Aiko stared down at the missing members of the party. They probably looked irritated, she couldn't tell, they were already too small. "Hey this thing goes kinda high doesn't it?" Conan smirked. Something in his eye told Aiko he had meant to leave them behind

"Does that bother you?"

"N-no."

"Good because we're only on the first floor."

"Bring it on! Heights are nothing to me!" Aiko roared, throwing her hands in the air. Of course, she was the daughter of Kaito Kuroba. She almost wished she could hang-glide from the top of this massive structure.

Conan smiled as he leaned back against the glass. Even if everything didn't go according to plan, despite the row between Hakuba and Aiko, this had been one of the best experiences of his life. It warmed his heart to see Aiko so excited, palms against the glass, pulling faces at the people on the ground. If things went well, that would be an added bonus. A major bonus. Everything would be even better if his plan turned out to be a complete surprise, which he assumed it would be, seeing as Aiko hadn't even mentioned anything about the date. That was just like her, to forget.


	30. Fireworks

Aiko let out a gasp of shock as she stumbled out onto the viewing deck, the reality of the height hitting her full blast. She staggered slightly as she felt the wind throwing her hair back. Heart pounding and breathless, Aiko took one shaky step forwards.

"W-wow!" She cried, placing her hands on the railings. "It's amazing Conan!" Suddenly, his hand rested on hers upon the railing, her back now against his chest as he stood behind her. Aiko blushed, shying away slightly. She heard Conan chuckle.

"I've been wanting to show you this all day, That's why I kept checking my watch."

"Bu-but we could've come at anytime."

"Ah, Just wait."

The city had grown completely dark, leaving a blanket of glowing orange specs of light, arranged like jewelery in a case, gold necklaces slung over black fabric. Aiko breathed and closed her eyes just to allow herself to enjoy the wind in her hair to the fullest. Suddenly, she felt as if she was plunging, like she had thrown herself from the tower. By no means a frightening experience, but an exhilarating one. Aiko let out a audible gasp of excitement as her eyes snapped open again. Once more she felt slightly wobbly, finding herself resting against Conan's chest. Aiko smiled warmly to herself. She turned in an attempt to step away from the edge but Conan refused to move from his standpoint behind her meaning that she collided with his chest.

"Aah, So-sorry!" Aiko stuttered. Conan smiled and placed a hand on the side of her head.

"It's fine." Aiko gulped as he gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. The look in his eye was definitely not one of a friend anymore, she had gathered that much. No, there was something buried deep in his eyes. She had always seen it, she had always known it was there, ever since she was young, but it had taken her all this time to realise what that look really was. He was so deeply in love with her. Regardless of his little confession the previous evening, she would've known. Now, at this standpoint, Aiko was realising something. She wasn't entirely sure if she'd recognised it before. A sudden desire to be held in his arms, for him to kiss her, for him to tell her he loved her. She had been wanting for this for so long, but she had just never noticed it. Conan suddenly hooked an arm around Aiko's waist and spun her round, back to the view of the city.

"Wait..." He whispered gently into her ear.

"Conan, What're you..."

"Three...Two...ONE!" Suddenly, with a loud whistle and a thunderous boom, the skies of Paris burst into life. Aiko gasped at the beautiful fireworks unfolding before her.

"Happy Birthday Aiko." She spun and stared at Conan. She suddenly felt like a complete idiot. How could she have forgotten her own birthday? That Conan had bought her all the way to the top of the Eiffel Tower and now this fireworks display...It touched Aiko deeply. Tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Conan...!" She began. Before she could continue, Conan swept her up into his arms and completely off her feet. Aiko let out a cry, locking her arms firmly around Conan's neck.

"Eeek! Conan, what're you doing?! Put me down!"

"Just relax and look out at the city." Aiko did as she was told, removing her head from where it was so tightly buried on Conan's shoulder. Her breath was lost on the wind as it ran through her hair gently. Her expression became slightly hazy as she sat perched atop Conan's shoulder. Never had she seen such spectacular fireworks. Aiko tightened her grip on Conan as he lowered her down into his arms.

"Thank you Conan! Thank you thank you thank you! This is the best birthday present ever!" She squeezed him hard, burying her head in his chest.

"Woah, Aiko, hey--!" Conan began to stagger slightly, swinging Aiko around in a circle in an attempt to keep his balance. Aiko ignored his request and only held tighter and tighter, giggling with delight. Yet again, the two were getting some very strange looks from the other enjoying the view but neither of them cared. Breathlessly laughing, Conan set Aiko down. The two gazed into each others eyes, a warm smile upon Conan's lips. Aiko' heart was beating nervously against his. He made a small movement, coming a little closer, tentatively, for he needed to be assured that Aiko would comply. Aiko slowly slid her arms around his neck, standing on tiptoes as the two moved closer and closer. She was so sure she had felt his lips touch hers, before yet again he suddenly pulled away, at the sound of a loud voice.

"Kudo, Kuroba!" The three who were abandoned were stood, Hakuba's stance angry, her arms crossed across her chest. "Don't you think it's about time we made our way back to the hotel." Aiko bit her bottom lip. It was going to be impossible to look Conan in the eye for the rest of the evening.

"Did you two have a nice time?" Ran smiled at the two teenagers. She danced across from her table at the restaurant in the lobby, a glass of white wine in one hand. It appeared that they had met up with the Hattori's and were slipping in a quick drink (Or five in Ran's case) before bed.

"Yeah!" They both nodded in unison, still a little flustered from earlier. She smiled lopsidedly, and took another swig. Ran didn't drink often but when she did, she had a tendency to go all out.

"We'll head back to the room." Conan smiled weakly. Ran raised an eyebrow suggestively, grinning as she downed the last of her wine. She gulped and let out a miniature hiccup.

"Nyeheh...French wine sure is taa-asty, Sure you don't want some?" Ran waggled the empty glass in Conan's face before a rather embarrassed Shinichi came and dragged her back into the restaurant, commenting that the waiters weren't taking kindly to her wandering off with their wine glasses and offering alcohol to minors.

Conan slumped against the door, tossing the key to Aiko as she passed him. With a heavy exhale, Aiko made for the mini bar.

"Cola?"

"Yes please." Aiko scooped two cans into her arms, hurling one across the room towards Conan, who caught it like a baseball. Sluggishly, the two trudged to the bed and threw themselves backwards onto the sheets, with heavy sighs, staring hazily and the ceiling above them. Aiko turned and grinned, raising her coke and giving it a little swish.

"Birthday toast of some sorts?"

"Right, I'll give a speech." Conan sat himself upright. "E-hem. Tonight, Ladies and Gentlemen, We are here to celebrate the birth of a truly wonderful girl, Aiko Kuroba." Aiko giggled as her cheeks turned pink, shuffling upright.

"Now, Here comes the tear-jerking part!" Conan coughed. "Aiko, we've known each other for so long. We've been through hell-fire and flood and whatever. Sure, we haven't always got on, For example the time when we were both only about 5 and we were fighting because that's what kids do, And you ended up pushing us both into a freezing cold lake in the middle of winter--"

"Objection! That was your fault!"

"Overruled. Moving on! Anyway, yes. Despite occasional fallouts over the year, We're best friends and always will be." Conan reached and squeezed Aiko's hand. "Happy Birthday." Aiko cast her eyes to her knees.

"Tha—thankyou. A toast!" The two clashed cola cans before downing all the liquid in one go. Aiko let out a gasp of refreshment. "Uwah! Good stuff! Anyway, A toast!" She raised the empty can. Conan followed.

"To Aiko Kuroba!" Conan grinned

"Awww. And to Conan Kudo!"

"And..."

"Hm?"

Conan slowly placed his can on the bedside table.

"I need to get something..." he breathed in and out deeply "Something off my chest..." Aiko blinked.

"Listen Aiko, What would you say if...Over the years...perhaps...I'd started to see you as a little more than just a friend..."

"C-conan, what're you talking about?"

"I...Well...What I'm trying to say is...!"

Aiko's heartbeat reached record breaking speed.

"I...!" Conan snapped his eyes shut and breathed heavily once more. Aiko waited. The anxiety welling up within her was excruciating. Conan opened his eyes again. Then let out a sigh, which ,to Aiko, spoke _Words are useless_. The next few moments were like a blur to Aiko. Conan was suddenly right before, so quickly he seemed to just appear before she could even sense him. His hands wrapped around Aiko's wrists, commanding yet not to heavy handed. Aiko almost screamed, but it was lost amongst Conan's lips, tightly locked onto hers. She lost her breath. He was kissing her. So Aiko's eyelids fluttered, as she attempted in vain to comprehend the situation. Gradually, Conan lowered Aiko backwards, into the duvet, tenderly continuing to kiss Aiko. Finally she allowed her eyelids to drop and herself to relax. Then suddenly, a shiver coursed through her entire body.

"WAIT!" She screamed, heaving Conan away from her with all her might. She scrambled upright, turning her back to Conan completely, coughing out sobs of shock and staring in horror at her hands clasping the sheets, a hand over her mouth. Tears were already flowing faster than Aiko realised. Conan at first looked very severely heartbroken, but then his expression twisted, his eyes widening in epiphany.

"Aiko..."

She sobbed again, choking back tears to the best of her ability.

"I've..."

Her heart was throbbing.

"I've felt your lips before..."

* * *

_Yay! I have reached 30 chapters! Thus making this my longest fic so far (Of course, It isn't done yet though). Anyway!_ _Thankyou so much to all of you who have reviewed, favourited my story yadda yadda...It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside ^^_


	31. With love

"I've felt your lips before...".

Although it sounded like a bizzare thing to say, but it was true. Aiko screamed silently in emotional pain, her mouth opening but no sound came out, just a squeaky hissing sound. Why? Why couldn't she of just behaved herself? Couldn't she of used some other distraction that time, maybe just a kiss on the cheek would of sufficed. Or maybe it wasn't even necessary at all, he couldn't have caught her anyway...But still, That white tuxedo kicked her straight into auto-pilot. Why did she feel like some essence of her father was still left in that old suit even if she had replaced the trousers with a skirt (although that was beside the point) , that somehow she just felt more daring whenever she wore it, like he was standing behind her, hand on her shoulder, egging her on...Although her father had taught her never to fear anything, she was scared to death right now. She could lose Conan forever. Conan stared at the shivering girl before him. Aiko continued to weep. She couldn't look him in the eye. She didn't dare. Then she heard something unexpected. A small chuckle.

"So, it's you...All along. It's funny. I always got the feeling. But I overlooked it. I feel so blind. Kaito Kid."

"I-I-I--!" Aiko's words were lost amongst her sobbing. Conan gritted his teeth. His voice was cracking slightly.

"So, When you told me not to give up, To keep trying. All of that, that was just a lie wasn't it?"

"N-no...It--!"

"WHY AIKO? WHY DID YOU DO IT! IT WAS YOU ALL ALONG!" Aiko squeaked in fear when she felt his hand fall heavily onto her shoulder and swing her around so they were face to face. Aiko held her head down and clenched her eyes tightly shut. Conan wasn't having any of it. In a swift, firm movement, Conan placed a hand beneath Aiko's chin and brought her back into eye contact. When she expected to be greeted with a furious face, instead she was met by tears. Angry, heartbroken tears.

"Why?" he sobbed. "I-I...Even though, I know you inside out. Even though...I'm the person closest to you. I never noticed." He released her chin and hung his head, grasping at his hair. "I'm so goddamn STUPID!" Aiko sniffed and wiped her eyes with her palms.

"C-conan...I never—I never wanted to hurt you! That was never my intention! It's just that when..." Aiko let out a low whimper. "I saw your shining face..." A sob. "...I couldn't bring and myself to stop you..." She bawled. "From joining the task force!" Aiko buried her head in her hands, crying violently. She spilt everything then. "It began when I found a secret room, and there was this computer and all of a sudden a dying message from my dad came up talking about a gem called the Pandora I had to find for him and avenging his death and mum's and--" She paused to catch her breath. "I had to! For my parents!" That barrage of information looked as if it had gone over Conan's head to some extent. He looked up at her again. Aiko peered at him through hazy eyes and her fingers. She realised he was moving toward her. He was going to hit her, she knew it. She deserved it. She flinched and bit down on her bottom lip. She felt his hands slowly pry her own away from her face. He then pulled her closer until she was in his embrace, smothered against his chest. Aiko felt his hands trembling. Aiko let out a loud wail. Why did this situation seem so...familiar? Then she remembered it, back beneath the tree in the park, following Kaito and Aoko's deaths. No matter how hard she had struck him, no matter how many times, he didn't cry. But now she had pushed him to the edge and he had cracked. She could only hit him so many times. He was only human. Even so, he still accepted her into his arms.

"Co..." Aiko sniffed. "...nan...Why?" She attempted to pull away, pushing hard against Conan. He gave a hard tug, pulling her back to him. He wasn't about to let her go anytime soon.

"Why?" Aiko cried again. "You don't have to! You should be furious at me!"

"I won't say I'm not angry..." Aiko twitched. "...But I forgive you..."

"You shouldn't--!" Aiko spluttered. "Do-don't! You have every right to be angry with me! I-I-I-if I were you, I'd never want to see me again! You should want to hit me! In fact, I'll let you! I deserve it!" Aiko closed her eyes and awaited her retribution. A few seconds passed, nothing happened until eventually she felt his hand against her face. But yet again, it only stroked her cheek, before tugging her a little closer. He kissed her again. Aiko felt like the worst human being in the world. She had trod on him, jumped and twisted her feet as she landed but here he was, being so kind and gentle...

"You sound like you want me to hit you." Conan whispered in the breifly moment their lips parted. He remained close to her face, only centimeters distance between them.

"Maybe I do. I feel like you shouldn't be taking this from me! This blatant e-e-emotional abuse! I was a deceitful lier--!" Aiko breathed heavily. "--And you kiss me! Why?!"

"Aiko..." Conan looked away breifly as he contemplated his words. "Why do you think I didn't run away crying when you punched me in the face continually that time?" Aiko was silent, her expression changing slightly. She opened her mouth to speak but she couldn't find reason.

"Well?" Conan asked.

"I-I-I don't know!" Aiko cried.

"It's easy."

"I'm not as smart as you!"

"Smarts has nothing to do with it." Aiko sniffed and rubbed her eyes once more. She frowned.

"Go on then."

"I love you." Everything around Aiko suddenly plunged into some never ending abyss, her heartbeat stopping completely. For a moment, everything seemed completely black, just her and Conan sat alone in perpetual suspended animation. How could she? Maybe her emotional bashing of Conan had began way before she first put on her cape. What was worse was that Aiko desired strongly to scream the words back at him, to throw herself into his arms and kiss him. But the shackles of her actions prevented her. She would be the worst human being if she accepted this from him after she had put so much careful deliberation into crushing him. Conan was holding her face again, wiping away tears.

"...No...That's an understatement...I need you, I can't breath without you...So no matter how many times you punch me, I'm going to keep on loving you. And there isn't anybody or anything in the world that's going to change my mind."

"Conan, Stop it!" Aiko wailed. "I don't--! I can't--! You shouldn't--!"

"No! You stop it! For gods sake, Aiko! I've had enough of this 'don't deserve it' crap! Stop wallowing in your own self pity!" Conan sounded almost desperate. He hung his head, his hands sliding onto her shoulders.

"Do you feel anything for me?" He asked almost inaudibly. "No excuses, Just tell me straight out. Yes or no."

"Yes." He looked up again quickly, as if this answer had completely took him by surprise, as if he was expecting an outright declaration of hatred from Aiko. She turned the waterworks up to full now. "I-I...love you! That's what made this so hard, I almost cracked because of you! It tore me apart inside...But--" Her sentence was lost again with so many others as Conan dived in a kiss again. It wasn't long lasting, but certainly heart-wrenching, passionate and intense yet he wasn't being to harsh. The pause was only short too.

"No buts..." Before Aiko had the opportunity to reply, Conan's lips met hers and stayed there as if he never intended to leave. Finally, Aiko allowed herself to fall into his arms, throwing her own around his neck and sinking deep into the kiss, holding herself as close to Conan as possible. She couldn't hold back anymore. Conan's hands ran through her hair. Aiko gripped the back of Conan's shirt tight, as he moved down, kissing her jawline and her neck hungrily. Aiko gulped. She could barely believe what was happening. Judging by the manner Conan was moving his hands around at the hem of her shirt, he was asking for permission to go a little further. Aiko complied by reaching and tugging the jacket from Conan's shoulders. He continued for her, pulling his t-shirt over his head and throwing it carelessly to one side. Aiko's heart skipped a beat, his embrace tightening. Before either of them could progress any further, a loud knock came on the door. Flustered and breathless, the two pulled away from eachother like the touch of flesh to a hot kettle, Aiko tumbling backwards off the bed in a frenzy. Restraining his laughter, Conan quickly pulled his shirt back over his head and went to answer the door, very red faced.

"Hello?" It was Akai. Conan furrowed his brow. "Umm...Hi, Akai..."

"Hello." Akai glared at Conan as if he was trying to drill a hole through his head. Without another word, he just walked off. Conan raised an eyebrow before closing the door.

"Who was it?" Aiko climbed off the floor.

"Akai."

"Huh?"

"He just came and said hello then walked off!"

"Weird..." There was a very awkward silence.

"Listen Conan..."

"Hmm?"

"I had a heist planned for...umm...tomorrow..."

"You still want to go through with it? Fine."

"Hweh!?" Aiko almost choked.

"I'll let you find this gem or whatever for your parents but under the condition I don't hear a peep from Kaito Kid after that? Fair enough?"

"So..." Aiko spluttered with disbelief. "You...You're okay with me being Kid...But what if I never find the Pandora?"

"Then I guess I'll just have to put up with it then..."

"Me being Kaito Kid...?"

"Having Kaito Kid as my wife." Aiko blinked. Was that a proposal?!

"HUH?!"

"I'm joking." Conan turned to her with a grin plastered across his face. Aiko's face flushed rather severely. She was speechless. "Well, I'm going to hit the sack, Feel free to join me." Conan slumped onto the bed before rolling beneath the covers. "Night, Kid."

"Uh..." Aiko was silent. "Night..."

Akai cursed beneath his breath relentlessly as he stormed back towards his room, gritted teeth and murderous expression.

_I will not have that boy steal what is rightfully mine..._


	32. Red Jealousy

Despite the fact it was very late in the evening, the restaurant still had a fair amount of customers. The Kudo's and Hattori's still hadn't quite departed for bed yet (Save for Ran, who Shinichi had ended up dragging upstairs, half-conscious) and were finishing off their last glasses of red wine. Akako sat alone at the bar, an empty glass in one hand, drumming her fingers against the polished wooden surface. She was sure that he was going to show up eventually. She glanced at her watch. 3...2...1...

"Koizumi-san?"

Right on time. Hakuba climbed into the seat beside her and made a drink order before turning to the woman.

"Um...Listen..."

"Hmm?" She turned as she handed her wine glass back to the bartender for a refill.

"I just want to apologise..." Hakuba was attempting to make eye contact, but Akako was staring blearily out into the distance.

"For what?" She hummed as she swished her now refilled glass.

"Leaving you alone with Akai, I had no idea..."

"It's fine. I know how to raise a kid. You shouldn't feel obliged to stay with me for that reason anyway...I hope you and Natsuki and the kid are all very happy..."

"...Oh yes, very." Hakuba paused. "I just feel bad for leaving you to raise a child alone."

"No, It's fine. I'm perfectly capable." There was a long pause.

"Hey, Saguru. Do you know why I came to Paris?" Hakuba was silent. "Because I thought that there was a chance...that maybe..." Akako trailed off and stared into her glass. A few minutes passed before Hakuba suddenly felt a pair of lips pressing against his cheek. Hakuba recoiled in shock, staring at the crimson haired woman. "Just think about it." Without bothering to finish her drink, Akako left Hakuba, who was almost frozen solid. As she walked the corridors back towards her room, she was met halfway by her angry looking son.

"Mother, I'd like to ask you a question."

"Hmm?"

"There's someone I need to get rid of..." Akako smiled at her son as they strolled along side by side.

"You came to the right person. The girl is it?"

"No. The boy."

Elsewhere, two teenagers were both having a fair amount of difficulty sleeping, bearing in mind they were stuck in the same bed, which was just plain awkward given that they'd both just admitted their feelings for one another which had been followed by a relatively heavy smooching session which probably would have progressed a little...No, a LOT...further had a certain jealous red head not decided it was a good idea to knock on the door right in the middle. Both were keeping almost a ridiculous amount of distance between one another. Aiko might as well of been sleeping on the floor.

"Hey Aiko...?" Just a quiet murmur made her jump feet.

"Y-yeah?"

"Does anyone else know about you...being Kid?"

"Um...Just my grandma." She thought she'd best not mention Akai at this present moment in time.

"Right..." There was a pause. "Also, another enquiry. Why did you kiss me that time?"

"Errm..." Aiko played with the duvet nervously. "I don't know."

"If you hadn't, you probably would've been able to keep up this facade a little longer." Conan chuckled.

"I...I know..."

"Say, It can't be very comfortable curled up on your pillow like that. You don't have to go to such great lengths to keep away from me."

"I-I'm not!" Aiko stammered. "I like sleeping this way."

"Yeah right, C'mere." Aiko let out a squeal as Conan clamped his arms around her and tugged her away from the edge of the bed and into an embrace. Aiko gulped when she felt Conan's fingers playing with her hair. She closed her eyes and nestled her head into his chest. Maybe it wouldn't be that hard to sleep.

"Why've you decided on the boy then?" Akako emerged from the bathroom in a red velvet dressing gown, a towel wrapped around her dripping hair. Akai rolled over on his bed to face the window.

"Killing her would be the easy way out. I like a challenge." Akako smirked and helped herself to a carton of red wine from the minibar.

"Don't you think you've had enough to drink this evening?" Akai grimaced.

"I hardly had anything down at the bar, thanks to blondie pants." Akai chuckled and rolled over to face the woman who had ditched using wine glasses and was simply drinking from the carton, a look of frustration on her face as she drank. She gasped as she pulled the carton away from her lips. "But for the sake of the poor restaurant customers, I restrained myself from giving the walls a fresh coat of red paint..."

"What exactly is your bone to pick with that man?" Akai stared at the ceiling hazily.

"My bone to pick you say? Oh ho, Pick a bone, I shall. And a big one too! It's I-it's just Mr Two Earl Greys and no sugar please thankyou Madam thinks he's too good for me! I'm not good enough for him, am I? Instead he goes trotting off with little Miss reformed criminal like nothing happened and now he's all Mr Happy Family with his perfect daughter and perfect wife and perfect job and perfect house! Well, I'll show him! I'll blow him sky high!" Akako mumbled angrily while throttling the wine carton in the place of Hakuba's neck.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Anyway, About this boy..." Akai continued. "...I want him dead. If I were just to kill her, It would be so simple. Every girl's heart is mine because the only one who could resist me sleeps with the fishes. But I'd rather do things the hard way. I'll make her fall in love with me." Akai suddenly realised his words and went as bright red as his hair. Akako chortled loud enough to send the wine tower in the lobby crashing to the ground.

"Stealing her heart and making her fall in love with you are two different things!" Akako chuckled. "By fall in love, you mean real love. Stealing her heart is simply putting her in a state of googly eyed shallow infatuation."

"Tha-That's not what I meant!" Akai screamed. "I simply phrased that poorly!"

"Right. Quick question. Why does this one girl bother you so much? Couldn't you just let it be?" Although Akako inwardly felt a little hypocritical, considering the great lengths she had gone to attempting to eliminate the one boy who refused to give in to her.

"I don't know..." Akai gritted his teeth, clenching the duvet with one hand. "I simply...I hate loosing." Akako smiled proudly.

"No doubt about it, You're my son." She leant and ruffled the boys hair teasingly. Akai moved his head away in disgust. Anything slightly affectionate from his mother (Or anyone for that matter) usually tended to be taken badly. He didn't like being touched.

Aiko's thoughts had strayed much to far from the path for it to occur to her that perhaps her conversations had been monitored. Of course, neither her nor Conan would even of entertained the notion, of course. But then again, Neither would've Akako or Akai regardless of the fact that neither of them were 100% human. Or the Hakuba trio. Or Heiji and his family. Or anyone. Never had it occurred to them that perhaps the "hotel maid" had perhaps been intending to do a little more than just make the beds and refill the minibars. The hotel maid with the platinum blonde hair who now sat in her own room on the top floor, a glass of vermouth in hand as she stared out at the ever glowing skyline of this magnificent city from her armchair, clad in a lacy black nightdress and near transparent black silk dressing gown which she might as well of not been wearing in the first place as it certainly didn't cover much. With a chuckle, the woman reached for her glass and took a small, light sip before returning to filing her nails as she listened to the conversation through her headphones.

"I must say, I'm a little disappointed in you, my lovely Silver Bullet..." A quick blow on her nails to remove a little of the dust. "...To allow Little Bullet to be sidetracked by our Midnight Maiden...Personal feelings should never interfere with affairs..." Vermouth chuckled one last time before finishing the last of her drink, sliding from her chair and over to the bed, casting her dressing gown to the floor and crawling under the covers.

Conan certainly hadn't looked to pleased in the morning when he found Aiko giggling to herself over the news, her heist announcement being read out to the nation in front of the _Imperial Bijou Galerie de la France Ciel et Terre _(Usually just called the Imperial Gallery. The first one is a bit long winded.) Rough translation of the would be the Imperial Jewel Gallery of France ,Earth and Sky. The reasoning behind the Earth and Sky was because the Gallery was more of a maze than a gallery, spanning miles away from the centerpiece both under and over ground. The very deepest hall contained the currently nameless doublet which Aiko had her eyes set on tonight. Kept so deep underground in such an intricate structure...she could almost taste success. Not to mention, there were so many other jewels there, one of them was bound to be the right one. Conan's feelings were incredibly mixed about the whole situation understandably. He sat beside her on the bed, a mug of tea in hand. He found Aiko's childish smile very heartwarming though. She'd gone through the effort of writing the heist note in French, to give the translators a break. She hadn't done a very good job of it though.

"Something makes me think the real reason is that you just get a kick out it..." Conan laughed.

"Obviously." Aiko grinned.

"Don't do anything stupid tonight, try not to get hurt..."

"Yes, mother." Aiko rolled her eyes.

"Play nice with the other kids, Be polite, Speak when you're spoken to--" Conan teased.

"--Don't bore the crap out of your friends?" Aiko giggled and finished his sentence. Conan leaned forwards and gave Aiko a light peck on the cheek.

"Seriously, Be careful."

"I always am. No worries."


	33. Not as planned

Aiko almost couldn't restrain the laughter when she saw Ginzo stomp out of the helicopter that landed on the Imperial Gallery roof. Such great lengths he had gone to, spending his entire life chasing the same...well, almost the same criminal since he was 20. She wondered how long he could carry on chasing for. Her beloved grandfather looked certainly like he was getting on in years and she didn't want to cause the man a heart attack or broken limb or anything of the sorts. Not to mention his blood pressure was already at dangerous level as it was. She remembered to her early childhood when Aoko had constantly been warning the man of his blood pressure, not that he payed her much heed. Aiko didn't remember Ginzo's visits very well, probably because she opted to block them out of her mind. She did remember that they always seemed to involve a lot of shouting and Ginzo chasing Kaito round the house for some reason or another. She remembered sitting in a highchair, beating her little plastic table happily with her spoon, Aoko mopping carrots off her face while explaining that "Grandpa was a little cranky today". He didn't come to visit much now that Aoko and Kaito were dead, Grandma always said that Aoko's death had really hit him hard. While everyone told her that she was a replica of her father, Ginzo apparently could only see a mini Aoko. It was very painful, seeing as his wife had gone a long time ago also. Aiko often chuckled at how cruely Shinigami-sama seemed to enjoy following her and everyone she knew around. She wondered how Ran and Shinichi had ever managed to raise a kid when they couldn't even go to someones birthday party without finding a dead body.

Aiko sat casually in the framework of the Eiffel tower. It was surprisingly close to the gallery and she had a perfect view of all the affairs from just above the 2nd floor cafe. The smell of French cuisine was making her slightly hungry, so she thought she'd best start soon. It wasn't going to be easy to focus on such a big task with food on her mind.

"Showtime!" Aiko smiled, pulled her hat down over her eyes and took a leap forwards, activating her hang-glider and swooping into action.

"It's Kid!" Someone down below in the crowd cried, and the applause and screaming rose to a crescendo. Conan, who was somewhere deep within the gallery could almost hear Aiko's head inflating.

Conan was struck completely speechless. The gallery was even more spectacular than he'd imagined. Every single hall seemed to boast at least 90 valuable necklaces and at least two large crystal sculptures and even the walls looked as if they were made of gold. The floors were marble and every room sported incredibly think marble colums running right down the middle. Conan had to crane his neck to see the ceilings, which were decorated with paintings. The whole place was...expensive. Conan felt like he was wasting millions just standing there. Shinichi didn't seem to enthralled with the building but Sonoko (Who had taken the liberty of tagging along with Ginzo) and Ran were both quite literally squawking with excitement. Conan inwardly wished Aiko luck as he, Shinichi, Ginzo, Sonoko and Ran entered the elevator to the very bottom chamber where the gem was housed. Ginzo took advantage of them all being locked in a small space together by carrying out his trademark face pulling tests. As always, It was a very painful experience.

Aiko squeaked as a bullet scathed her shoe. Ginzo had even gone so far as to get the riot police involved. Helicopters were circling the building. Even more disturbing, she could've sworn she just heard someone give the order "shoot to kill". The main hall had a domed glass roof, as did most establishments of this nature. Aiko almost let out a scream when she realised, someone had in fact given the order "shoot to kill" and they were now putting that into practice. One of the helicopters had a turret. And it was firing. Quickly, Aiko slid from the top of the glass dome and to the rim, where she broke one of the panes and made her way in quickly to avoid the firing helicopter. She found it odd that only one helicopter would have a turret. As Aiko hit the floor in the gallery, she was forced to make a very quick getaway as the glass down came tumbling down from the helicopter fire. No, that definitely wasn't right. That wasn't a police helicopter. She knew they wouldn't damage the gallery roof like that. Sure, some officers on the ground had taken a couple of shots at her as she made her landing but this was different. Helicopter turrets were powerful. Aiko walked the relatively empty halls as she contemplated her plan. There was two elevators leading down to the basement, one freight and the other passenger, and no question, they would both be guarded. Slipping in as an employee delivering something to the bottom floor didn't seem like a fantastic idea. It was cliché and way too obvious, when everyone save for the guards had been cleared out of the gallery. Aiko turned sharply. She could've sworn she heard gunshots relatively close by. Ignoring this, Aiko grinned to herself as a plan to reach the bottom floor became apparent. She always brought her Ginzo kit with her in case, never knew when it might come in handy.

A guard flicked the lights and the chamber flickered into light. A single orange coloured spotlight and several dim wall lamps fluttered into life. The room was still dark. The minimal lighting was to give the room ambience and to draw more attention to the the center piece (Although Conan thought it just made the room look sleazy). The orange spotlight upon it wasn't glaring but it was enough to make the gem glow blindingly bright. It was an odd reddish color and resting safely among bulletproof glass walls. Before any of them could advance any further, the guard extended an arm.

"If you go any further the laser system will lock the entire building down." he informed them before proceeding to a small box in the corner to deactivate the security. Suddenly, the room brightened slightly, as the security disabled with a clunk. The guard stepped forwards. "You may look breifly, but then we must return. Kid will be here any minute." The group advanced cautiously as if the gem were a sleeping dragon.

"Wow..." Conan stared. He found himself wondered how Aiko must feel just having all these amazing gems at her fingertips. She could simply breeze in and take them whenever she wanted.

"HEY!" Aiko came storming towards the lift guards at full speed and in full Ginzo regalia. Taking one of them by the colar and pressing her forehead to his, she bellowed: "Was I here just now!?"

"Uh--"

"That was Kid in disguise, you morons! Get down there!" Aiko pulled out her handy-dandy police radio. She needed a considerable crowd to give her enough chance to slip away.

"This is Ginzo! Kid is down in the gallery! Hurry! The gem is at stake here!". The guards were itching to get in the lift already but they waited patiently for their comrades before following "Ginzo" into the lift. It was a long way down but eventually the elevator doors slid open and the two guards came charging into the the gallery. Aiko's eyes boggled out of her head at the size of this nameless gem. She could've sworn she saw Conan sigh and facepalm upon her entry.

"Ginzo is kid!" Aiko screamed. "Get her!" The two guards lept forwards to tackle Ginzo, like rugby players. Aiko made sure to give Shinichi a nudge as she passed, meaning he was at the bottom of the pile alongside the real Ginzo. As Aiko quickly shattered the glass with her card gun and swept the gem away into her cape, she noticed Conan grinning at her from over her shoulder. He rolled his eyes and gestured towards the lift. With a small giggle, Aiko winked and quickly made a dash for the lift. By the time the task force had realised that they had just tackled the real Ginzo, the fake and the gem were already making their ascent.

"Another score for the Kaito Kid." Aiko chuckled to herself, removing her mask with a satisfying "riiiip" sound. She marvelled at the gem for a second. Aiko could've sworn she'd heard the gurgle of liquid as she turned it in her hands. Her reflection didn't show in the surface.

Now, normally everything would've just been fine and dandy. Aiko would've strode out of the elevator, taken the gem home, her and Conan might have shared cold beverages in front of a movie and then gone to bed just like they normally did but fate would not allow it. If Aiko hadn't ignored the one renegade police helicopter and the distant echo of gunfire earlier on, she might have preempted this situation....Actually no, no matter how much heed she had taken to these small irregularities, she would never have preempted this situation. As the lift door slid open, Aiko felt faint immediately. Something had struck her. Although she was having a little bit of a hard time identifying that something as he vision had already clouded over, a trickle of red running right down the middle of her left eye. She heard a deep voice, footsteps...She felt two strong hands hoist her from the ground and search her from head to toe without even trying to be gentle. The gem was removed from where she normally stored it within her shirt and then everything went black.

"Found it."

Although Aiko could no longer see or move, her hearing hadn't given up on her completely. The hands that had searched her suddenly wrapped around her waist and hoisted her unconscious body from the ground. A shoulder dug into her stomach. She was being slung over someones shoulder and being carried away. No...This wasn't...them? It couldn't be! If so, What the hell were they doing in Paris? She didn't recognise the voices.

"Got her." A gruff voice.

"Jesus, You banged her up pretty good. Nice forehead dent." A woman.

"She's younger than I thought." A monotonous voice.

"She's 17" A smooth, deep voice. A hand gripped her face, jerking it from side to side in inspection.

"Should we dump her, Or keep her?" The woman again.

"Keep her. We're not actually sure how to use this thing, are we?" A different woman, her voice a little less rough.

"You seem keen on the child, Vermouth." The deep voice.

"Aww, C'mon! Lets kill her! She's just another goddamn sheep!"

"Calm yourself Chianti."

"Whatever."

"Get her in the van."

"Right, Gin."


	34. Trail of blood

Conan stopped in his tracks. The fact that there was a small puddle of blood outside the lift which then dripped off into the distance disturbed him deeply. Shinichi noticed the blood too but did not seem to think as much of it as Conan and continued walking, only to stop when he noticed his son's statue like state. Conan stared up at Shinichi in horror. He knew he couldn't say a word to his father. Knowing him, he'd work out that Aiko was Kaito Kid immediately. Quickly, Conan composed himself and trailed slowly along behind the rest of the crowd.

"Hey...Dad...?" Conan tried to phrase his sentence as innocently as possible. "That blood...Do you think...Belonged to Kaito Kid?"

"It crossed my mind. It was either her or a task force member. Although drawing blood isn't really Kaito Kid's style." Conan remained quiet. "But then again, I'm not entirely familiar with this Kaito Kid. She doesn't seem to follow all the rules of the previous one." Conan surpressed a smirk. Inside he tried to assure himself that there was nothing to fear, that he would see Aiko back at the hotel. But something about the trail of blood told him otherwise. Perhaps, in realising her identity he had become too paranoid. He wondered if it would've been better to perhaps of feigned ignorance and pretended he hadn't noticed the taste of her lips. But he knew that would've been a very difficult facade to uphold.

Akai had grown tired of Akako's cackling and moaning about the blonde detective for whatever it was that he had done to her in the past and how badly she would mangle him if murder wasn't illegal in this country. Because of this, she had opted to drink all the wine in the mini bar and most of the non-alcoholic beverages too. His only escapes at this point were the hotel swimming pool which seemed all but appealing or one of the several restaurants. He thought he would try the penthouse restaurant, he didn't like the look of the one in the lobby. It was a smoking area. He made his way up the stairs slowly. Something about elevators had always made him uncomfortable not to mention he needed the time to drag. Something odd had been bothering him in the back of his mind since he interrupted Conan and Aiko's moment the previous evening. Ever since she set off on her heist, something had made him feel particularly uneasy. He had sensed it in Conan too. Conan didn't feel right either. But Akai was having a little trouble pinpointing whether it was just his ambivalence over figuring out Kaito Kid's true identity or the two perhaps shared the same ominous premonition. The premonition that Aiko may never return from this heist.

Akai strolled casually into the room. It was pleasant enough, wide windows and red velvet carpet. The waiter who seated him though seemed as if they were moving close to the end of their shift and couldn't wait to get out of their apron. Akai ended up sat right by the window. Paris was lovely in the late evening. He could see the Imperial Gallery from here, helicopters swarming it like flies. He chuckled to himself and returned his attention to the starter menu in his hand.

"Excuse me, Sir." Akai looked up. Suddenly a woman was sat opposite him. A relatively young woman, late twenties or early thirties. She had a perfectly rounded and almost slightly ghostly face, blood painted lips and heavily mascara clad eyes. Her silver hair was slightly wavy and tumbled past her shoulders. She smiled up at the waiter she had just called. "Two glasses of the Pinot Noir." Akai raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me, Miss?" She woman flicked her long hair over her shoulders and smiled at him. She almost seemed slightly malicious.

"Akai Koizumi." It wasn't phrased as a question.

"That's me."

"Listen, I'm here to make a proposition."

"Is this some kind of new hustle? Are you here to try and get me drunk and then I walk away a million euros poorer and two poorly built yachts richer? Or are you selling yourself?" Akai turned back to the window. "You're wasting your time."

"No, Let me assure you, this is relevant to you and you alone. I'm not selling anything." The waiter returned and placed the wine glasses on the table for the two. The woman thanked him. Akai grimaced into his glass.

"You've drugged my drink?"

"No, I assure you, You'll like what I'm asking." Akai sighed.

"Go on then."

"You want rid of that little glasses wearing detective don't you? The one who is so irritatingly standing in the way of you and Kaito Kid's heart." Akai almost dropped his wine glass. Who was this woman? What's more, he was having a particularly difficult time reading her. Usually others intentions were very clear to him but this woman...There was something strange about her.

"Who are you?" Akai stared.

"That's not important." Akai hated it when people said that "You and me, We want the same thing." The mystery woman traced a painted black nail over the rim of her wine glass before taking a sip. "I think we can help eachother. I know what you are." Akai remained speechless. "Now, here's the deal. Join me and my friends. And I can assure you that you won't hear a peep from the glasses donning detective. We need something from you in return though. Complete subservience. You must obey our orders with no questions."

"Out of the question, I don't take orders." Akai spat. The woman smiled again. Little did Akai know, he was playing right into her hands. Everything he said just dug him deeper and deeper into her trap.

"There is another bonus." She swished her glass. "Immortality." She pitched this offer so casually, as if she was just offering him a small sum of money. "How does that sound?" Akai looked like a rabbit, his head raising and his eyes widening so quickly.

"Immortality?"

"Yes, How does it sound?" Akai suddenly found himself drinking the Pinot Noir as if he had just come back from a 3 week waterless trek through the Sahara.

"Alright." The woman grinned with satisfaction and raised her glass. Akai raised his and the two toasted. Vermouth smiled to herself. Easy.

"Aiko?" Conan dumped his backpack at the door. "Aiko?" He slowly entered the hotel room. He called her name again. No reply. He checked the bathroom. No-one. He checked in all the cupboards. No-one. He stood for a second, his breathing a little irregular.

"Aiko, this isn't funny. Come out, now." He demanded. No answer. "Aiko!" Conan knew he shouldn't panic. Aiko was all smoke and mirrors. He knew how much she loved to tease him. He waited for a short while. He knew she would come out of hiding soon if he looked like he wasn't bothered. But she didn't. Before Conan realised it, he'd been sat still for an hour, waiting for her to emerge. She didn't. That confirmed his worst fear. The blood was hers.

Aiko moaned. She attempted to roll over but a stabbing pain in her forehead told her this was a bad idea, causing her to cry out. Gently, her fingers found the wound. Through hazy eyes, Aiko saw her own blood dabbed fingertips. The whole room was silent, save for a distant low humming in the background. Her vision was still clouded, Her head spinning. Aiko squinted but the ceiling refused to come into focus. She blinked a couple of times to remove the haze. Now she could see. The ceiling seemed a little to close to belong to a room. This was a van, hence the faint humming, quivering floor and occasional jolts.

"Sleeping beauty awakens..." A voice chuckled. Aiko rolled over to attempt to locate it's owner. Suddenly she found herself confronted with the barrel of a sniper. She looked up to see a middle aged woman, dressed completely in black, cropped mud colored hair and a butterfly wing tattoo beneath her left eye. Aiko's head fell back to the floor as the woman tapped her forehead with the barrel of the sniper. She laughed. Beside her sat a rather old looking character with trout lips and a cap pulled down over his sunglasses

"Don't move or I'll blow your head off." Aiko blinked.

"Who are you?" She managed. The woman didn't reply. While outwardly, Aiko maintained her poker face, inside she was literally screaming to herself. She had been caught. By them. No doubt about it. She hadn't been expecting it, But they had ambushed her. Whatever reason they were keeping her alive for, Aiko was almost afraid to know. If the helicopter had been one of theirs, they had obviously wanted her dead originally but gone back on that one. If not she probably wouldn't been having a little catch up with her parents right now, sipping heavenly tea and talking about what one another had been up to in the long time they had been separated. Maybe she would've even got to meet her grandfather too. Shame really.

"Don't suppose it would be to much if I asked where the party bus is headed?" Aiko enquired casually. The woman smirked.

"Don't start the whole wise-ass routine, kid."

"Criticism noted, Now if you'd kindly answer my question...?" Aiko winced again at the pain in her forehead. That earned her another jab in the forehead with the muzzle of the sniper. Aiko bit her bottom lip to suppress a cry of pain.

"You're annoying me. Keep quiet or I'll shoot." Aiko silently lay on the floor of the van, staring the muzzle of the gun resting against her forehead. Setting a smoke bomb off would probably be a bad idea, the woman would fire. Tipping corrosive acid onto the bottom of the van and rolling out onto the road was an option, but Aiko valued her skin on her back and didn't tend to carry corrosive chemicals around with her normally. Whether there were any in the van already, she wasn't sure. Gradual sleeping gas wouldn't work, she'd have no time to affix her mask without the two overlords becoming suspicious. Amuse them by pulling a rabbit out of her hat? Sudden explosion of confetti and doves was also a surefire crowd pleaser but she didn't know exactly what sort of crowd she was dealing with here. They didn't exactly look like a good audience.


	35. Leaving without you

Aiko hit the concrete with a loud thud, earning two very large scrapes on either knee. Wincing, she attempts to lift herself from the ground only to have a boot thrown into her back, returning her to the floor. It was the sniper woman again. Aiko, despite the fact she had been lying on the floor of a van with the barrel of a gun resting comfortably on her forehead, had managed to fall asleep somehow. And the brown haired woman was in charge of the rude awakening committee. Being thrown by the collar from a van onto hard, wet concrete made the salmon seem almost slightly comforting at this point. The rain was torrential, the strands of soaked hair hugging Aiko's face. Her hat fell to the ground and rolled into a puddle before her. How she had managed to keep it on all this time was a miracle. Lying limply on the wet ground, the sniper's boot grinding into her back, Aiko breathed, cold wisps hanging in the air. She wondered if this was it, if she would be with her parents in time for supper, but instead she heard a voice. A deep, smooth yet slightly gruff voice. She could barely make out a pair of highly polished black shoes through the rain.

"Vermouth...Do you insist on keeping this bedraggled puppy...? What use is she to us?"

"That person's orders." A woman's voice purred "Not to mention, I've got to keep her at least one percent alive so we don't lose the thread's trust." Why did that gangster-esque nickname ring a bell to Aiko so much?

"The thread?" A low, slightly dumb sounding voice. The woman who was apparently named Vermouth chuckled rather loudly.

"Dear Vodka, the scarlet thread of murder that runs through the colourless skein of life." The long silence told that "Vodka" still didn't quite comprehend, but had probably nodded or something to pretend that he did. An alarm went off in Aiko's head. Of course! The scarlet thread of murder was something mentioned by Sherlock in "A Study in Scarlet". For dear Conan's sake, Aiko had attempted to read it before losing interest due to the "lack of pretty pictures" as Conan would've put it. But she remembered that line. Not to mention, Conan's constant Sherlock raving also included the line several times.

"Hey, Gin. Orders? I'm getting kind of tired of keeping my foot here!" Aiko's oppressor moaned. This one seemed fond of complaining. Aiko gasped in silence. It was him again. Gin. The man who had tried to murder her.

"I was not informed of this plan. Ask Vermouth." Aiko moved her head slightly to avoid being hit by a droplet of spit from the woman above.

"Ask her yourself." She growled. There was a silence. Aiko heard an inhale and an exhale and a chuckle from Vermouth.

"That person wants to talk to the bedraggled puppy, as you so put it, personally. Needs to straighten a couple of things out with her before the next Volley comet arrives." Aiko tilted her head as subtly as possible to avoid getting another kick from sniper woman to see if she could catch sight of her captors. She managed to see their chins at least. A slim, voluptuous woman dressed in a long black fur rimmed coat who she guessed was Vermouth, she recognised Gin, and a short stout man with wide shoulders and a jutting jaw who she assumed was Vodka. Aiko returned her head to the ground and listened to the idle chatter that followed the important.

"We're bringing her back to Japan?"

"Hm, I have my jet."

"Wait, What do we do if Kudo and his brat show up?"

"Rest assured Chianti, they won't. They don't even know where their dear little moonlight maiden is."

"Peh, I've seen that guy in action before, he's pretty darn tenacious. Not so sure about the kid but..."

"How long do you all plan to stand here talking? The police could show up at any minute." Aiko suddenly felt all the pressure on her back being released as the sniper woman, now identified as Chianti, removed her foot. Hooking a hand around Aiko's collar, Chianti yanked the girl to her feet, lodging the sniper's barrel into the lower part of her back. Aiko instinctively raised her hand's as if a policeman had snuck up behind her, then realised this was unnecessary and lowered them again.

"Keep moving." Chianti nudged harder. Aiko winced.

"Get to Vermouth's jet as quickly as possible, before someone notices our van parked on the runway.

"Peh, I'm more worried someone will notice the sheep." Chianti laughed. Aiko agreed with her. Quite literally a dove amongst a murder of crows, Aiko stood out like a sore thumb. One glimmer amongst the splodges of ink which simply washed away in the rain.

Yet again, Aiko found herself tasting floor as she was hurled into the plane. It was one of those presidential style planes with leather seats, a bar and mini tv sets, exactly the type you would see in a sleek spy movie, a plane that had quite literally stepped out of the universe of James Bond. Aiko marvelled for about a second before she was yet again lifted by the colar and dragged along the carpeted floor by Chianti who seemed to be in charge of the mauling. Aiko was sure all this throwing around was unnecessary. Suddenly she found herself thrown into the bathroom, a shopping back shoved into her face. Gin smiled at her maliciously as Chianti stepped back.

"Put this on." He said flatly. Aiko stared into the bag.

"Bu-but...Where do I put my suit?" Of course, Aiko was foolish to have expected an answer that wasn't having the door slammed and locking in her face. Aiko sighed and rested her forehead against the door. She could already hear the plane's engine rumbling.

"Tell me what to do, Dad..." she breathed.

"Shiori!" The blonde detective looked up from her novel, tilting her reading glasses slightly. She smiled, a little red in the cheeks.

"Not much of a gentleman are you, Bursting into a ladies room uninvited." Conan stood breathless in the doorway of her hotel room. He approached the blonde detective and slumped on the bed beside her. It had obviously slipped his mind to tell her why he was in here before making himself comfortable. Shiori removed her reading glasses and slapped her book shut.

"Something the matter, Kudo?" She sat upright from her slumped position. Conan breathed.

"It's Aiko. She's gone. Poof. Nowhere. I searched all the restaurants, the swimming pool, everywhere. She's gone." He panted.

"Absolutely everywhere?" Shiori said sarcastically.

"Absolutely god damn everywhere, she's gone."

"I think you're over reacting slightly, Kudo" Shiori arched an eyebrow at him questioningly. Conan shook his head.

"Nu-uh. I came back from the Kid heist. She was gone." Shiori smirked. She found how childishly insistent he was on this point very cute indeed.

"Don't you think that's saying something?" Conan suddenly froze. The only reason he was sure that her disappearance was not just something as simple as taking a trip to the swimming pool was because of the trail of blood at the museum. But how was he supposed to tell Hakuba that? Not to mention, since when had she been sitting so close to him, her shoulder pressed against his. Since when had she been holding his hand and staring up at him like someone comforting their lover. She grinned ambiguously.

"Is there something you aren't telling me, Kudo?" Her chin was now resting on his shoulder. Conan stared at her.

"Shi-shiori, What're you doing?" Conan furrowed his brow in confusion. Shiori's fingers were playing with a lock of his hair. She pressed herself against him, a little closer. Conan was begging to feel awkward.

"I think you know something don't you?" Conan shook his head and put his hands on her shoulders, gently attempting to distance her from him.

"Listen, Shiori." He locked her in eye contact. "You're right, I do know something."

"That would be...?" Conan paused for a while. He let out a deep sigh and bit his bottom lip.

"Shiori! This is really serious. I need to know that I can trust you with this information...Because Aiko may be in grave danger, for all I know she could be--" he stopped, the horror dawning on him. He released Shiori's shoulders and slumped, grasping a clump of his hair with his shaking hands. "She could be..."

"Dead?" Conan was silent. Shiori tilted her head to one side in an attempt to get a look at Conan's face. The little she saw looked somewhat traumatized. Conan shook his head.

"Shiori, Can I trust you to keep a secret?" He looked up at her nervously. She smiled. Conan thought for a moment that he saw a genuine flicker of emotion, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. She nodded slowly.

"Aiko...is Kaito Kid." Shiori opened her mouth to speak but Conan interrupted. "Please, Keep this to yourself. I know you and Aiko don't exactly see eye to eye but...I need you to keep this a secret!"

"At a price." Shiori leant backwards a little, smiling to herself proudly. To Conan, it looked as if she was attempting to make her chest look a little bigger.

"Anything." he said flatly. "Anything at all. Just so long as you keep quiet about this." Shiori nodded.

"Very well then, I'll take it now." Conan raised his head slightly.

"Wha-mmff!" Before Conan had even caught on, Shiori's hands had clamped firmly to the sides of his face and brought their lips together. Conan let out several muffled cries of protest, his arms suspended in midair when he felt Shiori getting slightly carried away, her tongue tracing along his lips. His back hit the headboard with a rather loud clatter as he toppled over backwards. He let out another cry upon feeling Shiori tug the few top buttons of Conan's shirt undone and slip her hands onto his chest.

"Shiori, Stop! What're you doing?!" Shiori suddenly pulled away when it dawned on her that she was now lying on top of Conan.

"Shiori!?" Conan stared at her in disbelief. She blushed, removing herself from the rather awkward position the two had ended up in.

"That was the price." Conan blinked, still in pure shock. "Also, I believe in honesty. I'll be honest and say that...perhaps I've begun to develop feelings for you." Conan let out a breath, quickly buttoning his shirt up and returning to the upright position.

"I'm sorry Shiori..." He could've sworn he just saw the blonde detective sniffing and rubbing her eyes. "I didn't know...But...I'm in love with Aiko."

"I knew that."


	36. Distress signal

"Okay, so what exactly is your plan?" The two young detectives briskly walked side by side down the carpeted halls of the hotel. They had both been forced to very quickly forget Shiori's actions. Conan suddenly realised upon being asked this, he didn't have a plan. "Okay..." He began slowly. "I'm going to need you to keep this under your hat too."

"We're all locked doors and secrets tonight, aren't we?" Shiori rolled her eyes.

"Not only is Aiko Kaito Kid but I think she may be involved in something bigger."

"Like what?"

"Something massive, although I'm still not entirely sure what it is yet. My parents keep talking of an organization...Some big thing...And I get the feeling that Aiko is involved somehow." Shiori stared at him questioningly. "Just a hunch." He added, with a nervous laugh.

"Well, Let's say hypothetically ,Aiko is bleeding to death on the floor of a torture chamber somewhere..." To Conan it seemed that Shiori was enjoying this mental picture. He certainly wasn't. "...within the headquarters of this massive conspiracy you have a "hunch" about, what are we to do about it? Confront your parents and ask them if there is some "big thing" going on and reveal to your father, a detective I can be assured will NOT "keep this under his hat", and your mother that Aiko is Kaito Kid? If she's alive, she'd be sent to jail!"

"We don't have to tell them that Aiko is Kid..." Conan pondered to himself.

"If we don't, then this could simply be written off as a normal kidnapping case. And what makes you so sure that it isn't?"

"Because when I was at the heist, there was a trail of blood leading away from the lift leading the chamber where the jewel was kept. Aiko isn't here when I get back, trail of blood, the obvious conclusion is..."

"How do you know she wasn't just shot and collapsed on a pavement somewhere and she's in hospital right now?"

"Ah!" Conan suddenly stopped in his tracks, sporting his fathers trademark epiphany face. "I didn't think to try her phone!" Shiori facepalmed. "Funny how your mind works in a crisis." He laughed to himself while quickly scrambling with his phone. Of course, he had Aiko at the top of his contact list.

"Hope this works..."

Aiko stared into the bag. Black. All black. Like a bag of black kittens. Aiko wished it was a bag of black kittens. She liked kittens. They were cute and fluffy. She'd always wanted a kitten. But doves and kittens don't mix and neither do grandmas with allergies. Why would someone put kittens in a bag though? And what the hell kind of comparison was that to be making at a time like this anyway? There were more important matters at hand. They obviously wanted to make her fit in and look a little less like a hostage. They couldn't exactly turn up at whatever airport they were planning to land at dressed entirely in black, dragging Kaito Kid behind them. The clothes weren't bad actually. Black v-neck, black skirt, black jacket plus a pair of black sunglasses for maximum obscurity of the eyes. These clothes would probably make her look like a complete delinquent, but she feared she may end up with a bullet through her head if she didn't put them on. As Aiko began to unbutton her blue shirt the she wore beneath her tuxedo, she felt something heavy in the breast pocket. Aiko reached in. Her eyes widened. She gasped in relief. Her phone. She had completely forgotten it was there. Whether she would be able to make contact with anyone on this plane she was unsure, but it was worth a try. Perhaps they'd find her out when the navigation gear began to screw up. Perhaps she wouldn't get another opportunity. Customs would ask her to put her cellphone in the tray, and then she'd be busted. Then suddenly her phone began to chirp. Someone was calling her. Aiko let out a squeak and pressed the answer button, wincing and hoping that they hadn't heard her phone go. She waited. No-one came storming towards the door. She heard a voice calling her name on the other end.

"Aiko?" It was Conan. Obviously. "Hey, Aiko! Are you there?"

"Conan!" Aiko whispered, her voice brimming with relief. "Oh thank god!"

"Aiko, where are you?" Shiori peered over Conan's shoulder.

"She's alive then?" Conan pressed a finger to his lips.

"Ssssh!" Aiko hissed. "They might hear me!"

"Who? A-aiko, what's going on?"

"Conan, I have no idea what's going on. I'm on a plane somewhere, these people came at the heist and then..."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a light knock on the head."

"Oh, thank god."

"Anyway, I had taken the gem then all of a sudden somebody knocked me out, I woke up in a van, there was a woman with a sniper, and all these people dressed in black talking about taking me to that person and a volley comet and now we're on a plane..."

"Any idea where the plane is headed?"

"Nope, I'm kinda in the toilet right now. It's a private jet so..."

"Do you think you'll have an opportunity to call again when you get there?"

"I doubt it. My phone probably won't make it past airport customs..." Conan let out a frustrated breath, dragging a hand down his face. Shiori tilted her head on one side, a little confused.

"I'll call the police. I'll get dad, He'll know what to do."

"Bu-but, It won't do any good if you don't know where I am!"

"I'll find you somehow Aiko!" Conan cried, breathing heavily. Suddenly, the bathroom door was flung open, a very angry looking Vodka in the doorway. Aiko screamed, throwing the phone behind her back.

"Hey, Aniki, She's got a phone!" Aiko stumbled backwards, landing on the toilet as Gin stormed to the door.

"CONAN, IT'S GIN, THE BLACK ORGANIZATION! TELL SHINICHI I KNOW! I KNOW ABOUT CONAN EDOGAWA! HELP!" Aiko screamed into the phone before Gin yanked it from her hand, drew his Beretta and cut her call short, firing two bullets into the phone. Conan stared in horror. All he heard was Aiko's scream, a clatter and gunfire before the phone went dead.

"Aiko! HEY, AIKO! Dammit!" He hurled the phone to the floor in frustration with a loud cry. Shiori stepped back as Conan's expression looked purely murderous. Carefully, she bent and retrieved the phone, while Conan stood, breathing heavily and staring into nothingness.

Gin wrapped both his hands around Aiko's wrists, tugging her from the bathroom. Aiko let out a loud cry, bringing her leg up into Gin's stomach. It seemed she had really taken him by surprise this time, as he released her. Escape was open, Aiko hurtled towards the front of the plane, sending two glasses of alcohol spilling all over her white suit as she bashed into the side tables of the Organization members who all dived from their seats to catch her. Aiko had no idea why she had tried running. She was completely trapped inside a capsule which was suspended in mid-air. Even if she had reached the door, then what? Freefall to her death and end up a large red stain on the pavement? Perhaps she'd land in the ocean and her corpse would be hurled out of the sea in a tuna net by some poor fishermen! _Smooth, Aiko, Smooth_ she thought to herself. Besides, making it to the door was impossible. Her feet were caught on the protruding leg of Chianti who then proceeded to twist Aiko's arm backwards and slam a knee into the lower part of her back, winding her completely. Aiko's legs trashed as she gasped for air. Suddenly, she felt a sharp stab of pain surging through the veins of her arm. Aiko turned her head shakily, jittering like a malfunctioning robot to see Gin had plunged a syringe deep into her flesh. The color drained from her face. Aiko's legs kicked increasingly lazily, flailing like a fish removed from it's tank who was just coming to the end of it's struggle, muted cries of shock and pain from flapping lips. Eventually, her will subsided, along with everything else, including vision, ability to move, consciousness...Aiko went limp. The members of the Organization eased up, backing away from her unconscious form. Chianti let out a sigh and released Aiko's arm which cascaded limply to the floor. Vermouth chuckled, stepping forwards and taking a clump of Aiko's hair in her hand, tugging her head upwards.

"I'll get her changed."

Conan was now storming down the corridor, a very befuddled Shiori at his heels towards his parents room. He needed to get to the bottom of things, now or never. Regardless of the cost, Aiko had to live. He prayed manically in his mind that the gunshot he had heard had not been directed at Aiko, but the chances were high. He didn't need these kind of thoughts right now. It tore him apart inside.

"Dad!" Conan threw the door open. Did nobody lock their doors around here. Shinichi looked up from his laptop. He and Ran were casually sat side by side on the bed, Ran engrossed in a book, Shinichi playing online chess. Needless to say, he was something of a champion. He looked backwards and forwards between Conan and Shiori. His expression first read "_Okay, where's Aiko?_", Second "_They've obviously done something bad_." Then "_Geez, I didn't know he had it in him!_" Then lastly "_Act normal._" Shinichi smiled.

"Something up?"

"Yes, Something is up. Very big." Ran raised her head.

"Well, what's wrong sweetie?" Another one of Ran's traits. Addressing her son as "sweetie" or "honey-bun" in public regardless of the amount of spectators. Although now there was only one, it was enough to embarrass Conan.

"Aiko knows. About Gin and the Black Organization. And Conan Edogawa." Conan sounded incredibly confrontational but truthfully he was completely unaware of what he was confronting his parents about. Shinichi went completely blank. Ran had to hoist her jaw from the floor.

"And now she's gone missing."


	37. Clink clink

_Clink clink_

Aiko blinked. Her head was killing her.

_Clink clink_

What was that sound?

_Clink clink_

Okay, it was getting a little annoying now. Aiko squinted at the ceiling above her. Currently audible sounds included plane engine, distant laughter and that oh-so-irritating clinking. Aiko attempted to focus her vision. A glaring light bore down into her eyes as if trying to hollow them out completely. Every limb in her body, particularly her arm and lower back, was aching. She felt something soft beneath her, what almost seemed like...faux fur? Her clothes felt different...The tuxedo was stifling and heavy, but whatever she was wearing now wasn't exactly loose fitting but it wasn't hugging her body either, nor was it very thick. Aiko would've opted to stare down, but she was completely stiff. If she remembered correctly, she had so foolishly attempted to make a dash for it and ended up being tackled by every member of the Black Organization and having a syringe shoved into her arm by Gin. She could only assume it was a tranquilizer. She attempted to move her arm to place a hand on her forehead. But her arm stopped in midair as if someone had tied a rope around it. Not a rope, rather a handcuff. Hence the clinking. Aiko's limbs were beginning to ease, which allowed her to roll over. The first thing she saw was her reflection, full scale, staring wearily back at her. Admittedly, she looked terrible. One of the organization members had been kind enough to stick a large plaster over the red mark from where Vodka had walloped her in the museum, but her face was pale, thin, deep black smudges beneath her currently expressionless eyes. She noticed her alcohol stained tuxedo folded at the end of the bed. Aiko laughed. Kaito was probably freaking out from his other worldly viewpoint, screaming over his precious tuxedo while Aoko attempted to calm him. They had also taken the care of dressing her in the clothes they had provided while she was out. Now her surroundings..She was still on the plane judging from the noise. But in a bed? Okay, this was a much bigger not to mention much more luxurious plane than she had thought. A plane with a bedroom. Of course it didn't span much wider than a larger than average sofa but the bed was comfy, laden with decorative pillows and a fluffy faux fur throw. One side of the room was lined completely with mirrors and judging by the handles, these were either doors or closets. Aiko's guess was closets, seeing as there was a slender door squeezed into the minuscule gap between the bed and the mirrors. Aiko let out a moan, rattling away at her handcuff to keep herself occupied. She was stuck now.

Shinichi nodded, placing his chin on the back of his interlocked hands.

"So...Do you want to start explaining properly Conan?"

"Honestly, I'm just as clueless as you. Aiko has gone missing. I phoned her and she was on a plane, and then she got caught on the phone by her captors. Just before the call ended she screamed 'It's Gin, It's the Black Organization. Tell Shinichi I know. I know about Conan Edogawa' then I heard gunshots..." Conan's face paled slightly. Shinichi and Ran's expression's turned immediately too. Shiori looked relatively casual.

"Oh god. It's true then..." Shinichi slumped, his head burying in his hands. Ran looked mortified, placing a hand on her husbands shoulder.

"Dear?"

"Listen, Conan. This may be a little hard to take in, but Aiko is most likely dead." Conan shook his head repeatedly.

"No...She's not....I-I..." He gulped. His voice was cracking. "She...isn't dead..."

"I'd always had a sneaking suspicion about Kaito and Aoko. I never found any solid evidence to back up my theory though." Shinichi shook his head, a slightly hint of hurt at betrayal in his eyes. Him and Kaito had been as thick as thieves. "Kaito and Aoko were most likely tied in with the Black Organization, perhaps even full-fledged members. Obviously they betrayed them somehow and Aiko is avenging her parents. In the only way I can think how."

"How?" Conan was rather manically scratching the corners of his eyes, trying to make it look like he hadn't been on the brink of tears a minute ago.

"By being the third Kaito Kid. C'mon, add up the evidence, it's almost painfully obvious. There's the first Kaito Kid, vanishes mysteriously and appears a good 9 or so years later as a young man, pattern repeats only this time, Kaito Kid is a young lady. Toichi, Kaito, Aiko. Also, judging your attitude towards Kaito Kid, I think you sensed her familiarity, hence making you feel very emotional about her." Shinichi gestured to Conan. "Aiko spent the entire Weeping Crystal heist in the toilet conveniently. She was nowhere to be seen at the Swan heist...She has no alibi for anything."

"Ah, Yes but, I guarded the toilet door. She couldn't possibly of left. And she kept talking to me while she was in there." Shiori stepped in, unusually defending Aiko.

"For all you know, she probably just left a tape on the toilet seat." Shinichi shrugged. "I'm only about 90% sure but the chances of Aiko being Kaito Kid are extremely high. If she's anything like her father, she probably is a professional escape artist."

"Apparently, Kuroba really is in fact Kaito Kid according to your son, Kudo-san." Shiori gestured to Conan over her shoulder.

"Its true. I found out." Conan nodded. "I sort of...forced a confession out of her..." Shinichi raised an eyebrow, his solemn frown flipping to a grin. Conan immediately went red upon noticing this, breaking eye contact at the speed of light. That was all the evidence Shinichi needed to get a good idea of what had happened.

"...Conan, I think it's time we told you about where your name came from...About Conan Edogawa..." Ran crawled forwards and sat beside her husband at the edge of the bed. "Ever since we were teenagers...Well, we've been fighting against the most terrifying organization known to man...But nobody knows they exist. Those who do, don't live to see the next day."

"If you know, then how...?"

"According to them, Kudo Shinichi is dead." Shinichi chipped in. "You kids might wanna sit down..." Shinichi gestured to the sofa. "...this will take a while." Shiori and Conan did as they were told. Everything came out then, staring from the trip to Tropical Land. Shiori was keeping a straight face, but both Shinichi and Ran could tell she was completely rejecting the information. Conan was a little less subtle when it came to hiding his disbelief. Shinichi and Ran's explanation finally came to a close, followed by a long pause. Conan blinked a couple of times, as if one of them had just slapped him, and stared at the floor.

"This doesn't...make sense! Things like this don't happen! It defies logic! A-and...how...did Aiko know this...and why have you never told me?" Shinichi rolled his eyes and sighed awkwardly, as he could tell a severe confrontation was headed his way.

"I assume...If Kaito was originally Kaito Kid then he must've told Aiko somehow..."

"Why did you never tell me?" Conan sounded hurt.

"It's information that no-one should know..." Conan stared to the floor, clenched fists resting on his knees. Shiori was picking up on his anger and decided to distance herself from him a little.

"I refuse to believe this." Conan shook his head.

"Oh..." Shinichi turned to Ran, who nodded and stood, making her way over to a suitcase in the corner from which she produced a photo album and placed it on Conan's lap. She flicked over the legions of photos of Aiko and Conan as young children in the sandbox or the swimming pool or sleeping in the same cot and all the typical baby photos, until she reached some older photos, ones that were slightly worn with age towards the back.

"Wonder who this child is?" Ran pointed to a small boy, smiling at the camera as he sat on a 17-year old Ran's lap.

"Please, that could be any kid." Ran turned another few pages. The next photo she pointed out to him was even more worn, this one in black and white. She stared at Conan as she waited for a response. "And? It's the same kid without glasses..." Then Conan stopped, trailing off. It was indeed the same kid, but standing next to a now 7-year old Ran. The room fell deadly silent. Shiori frowned at Ran questioningly.

"Is this supposed to be a jest of some sort? Hilarious really, but a frie—acquaintance of mine is missing." Shiori placed her hands on her hips. "Do you two actually plan to do anything about it or are you just going to show us baby photos all afternoon?"

"I'm afraid there is very little we can do." Shinichi hung his head. "If it were a public flight, we would've been able to narrow it down to airline by which ones allow mobile phones. Then all we'd have to do is check what flights left around the approximate time you called Aiko. The closest airport is Paris Charles-du-Gaulle assuming they were even at an airport..."

"Hey, Aiko can't be dead." Conan perked up slightly. " Aiko was attacked at the heist. Why would they bother taking her all the way from the heist and putting her on a plane only to kill her? If they had wanted to they could've just killed her right there..."

"True, The organization don't tend to clean up most messes they leave. Although I doubt that's a good sign. That disturbs me even more if anything. Why on earth would they want to keep her?"

"Hey, Why don't we call Charles-du-Gaulle and ask if any planes took off illegally?" Ran asked. "If the plane was docked there without them knowing, a strange plane leaving would've been picked up on the radar wouldn't it?"

"Possibly, But they wouldn't tell us anything. I'll call Takagi and have him ask."

"What time is it over in Japan?"

"I'm not waiting until it's morning over there."

Aiko had been lying in the faux fur for almost an hour now. Having such a hyperactive imagination, she had managed to play out an entire feature-length film in her head entitled _Aiko Kuroba: Story of a Phantom _which for some odd reason had been in black and white and involved actors who she was sure she had never seen before. It was a silly movie. It wasn't accurate to reality. Her and Conan didn't meet in a bar during college, fall in love at first sight, quickly proceeding to marry and have three children, who were all very concerned about their mother who was frequently disappearing during the night, and their father who had resorted to alcoholism, believing his beloved wife was having an affair. That's hollywood for you. But then again it wasn't hollywood. It was her imagination. Her incredibly overactive imagination. Yes, Only the daughter of Kaito Kuroba could possibly be lying in handcuffs while kidnapped picturing her life as an inaccurate movie rather than freaking out and wondering what the hell these people wanted with her. The spooky part was, the movie had ended with Aiko throwing herself off a building. She wondered why.


	38. Finally we meet

_Woah, This one took a while! Sorry, I had the worst case of writers block....And over excitement about Christmas XD_

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Aiko woke with a start. Okay, this was getting ridiculous. Just lying, sleeping, dreaming...clinking away at her oh-so-irritating handcuffs. But she noticed an abnormality in the room this time, that abnormality being that she was no longer the only one in it. A woman sat at the end of her bed, smiling in a maliciously casual manner like a nurse about to vindictively administer a lethal injection to a perfectly healthy patient. For all Aiko knew, she could be. Aiko's stomach suddenly dropped when she finished registering the woman. It was the exact woman who's suitcase she had tripped over at the airport, the woman on the laptop on the plane and Aiko could've sworn she saw the very same woman pushing a cart of towels and toiletries around the hotel corridors dressed in hotel personel gear. Aiko felt so blind. They had been right behind her the whole time.

Initiating phase one of the frightened hostage routine: "Who...w-who are you?" Aiko scrambled upright, as much as her shackles would allow.

"An acquaintance of a relative."

Initiate phase two. "What do you want with me?" The woman paused to reach for something on a table at the end of the bed. Two glasses of alcohol.

"Would you like a drink? It's very sweet. It shouldn't taste like alcohol at all, should that not be your preference. If not, perhaps you'd prefer some Gin or Vodka...?"

"I'm not thirsty" The woman reached for the table once again replacing the alcohol and emerging with a bowl of olives. She popped one past her lips. Whether this was supposed to be relaxing or mocking, Aiko was still unsure.

"Antipasti?"

"I had a big meal before you kidnapped me." Aiko spat. The woman laughed at this.

"I just came to tell you it's time to get off the plane, darling."

"I'm not going anywhere until I get some answers. What do you want with me?"

"These are good olives, you sure you don't want one?"

"I'm not hungry!"

"Fine..." The woman crawled forwards, releasing the handcuff from the bedpost and reattaching it to her own wrist. "C'mon, That person is dying to meet you."

"Ouch!" Aiko cried out as she was pulled off the bed. Aiko was forced to walk close to her as they exited the plane in case anyone should see them and notice the handcuff. Aiko surveyed her surroundings. To her this looked like exactly where all the madness had started. Haido airport. Before she had even had the time to comprehend the outdoor world fully, she found herself flung into the back of a Porsche alongside her handcuff wielding captor, the door slamming heavily behind them. Gin took the wheel while Vodka took the passenger seat. The car spluttered to life and tailed a Viper off the runway and into oblivion. After a very long time of silence and gratuitous glaring on Aiko's part, the driver finally spoke.

"Vermouth, Would you please make your objectives a little more clear?"

"It's that person's objectives, not mine. I don't know exactly what he wants with the kid either. I'm sure he'll make it clear once we reach the bar."

"Bar?" Aiko perked up. If it was a public place, maybe she would have a chance to call help, given that they had driven her back to her home city. But conveniently, everyone she knew was in Paris. Drat.

"A frequent meeting place of ours." Vermouth said, her voice slightly muffled by the cigarette between her teeth she was attempting to light. Now THAT was worrying. The fact they were revealing their meeting places to her meant that she obviously wasn't going to be leaving alive.

"Okay, Okay...Yeah...No...Yes, Okay. Sorry for waking you. Okay, bye!" Shinichi hung up. He sighed. Conan, Ran and Shiori all stood around in apprehension.

"Well?"

"Yes, Although Takagi was reluctant to call being that it was his day off and he was lying in, I managed to obtain that there was in fact an illegal takeoff at Charles-du-Gaulle today. A medium sized black private jet. Headed for Haido Airport apparently."

"So they went back to Japan?" Conan sounded excited. A break in the case. "Well C'mon!" He gestured towards the door. The other three stood like statues. His face fell a little "What are we waiting for?" Ran glanced to the floor awkwardly before placing a hand on her sons shoulder. With a sympathetic yet deeply saddened face she spoke:

"Conan...Really...There isn't anything we can do. They may have gone back to Japan but me and your father have spent our entire lives trying to find them just in Beika alone. Besides..." Ran gulped, holding a clenched fist to her lips, blinking several times. "...it might be too late for Aiko."

"I...CANNOT BELIEVE YOU TWO!" Conan screamed, flailing his arms. "YOU'RE JUST GOING TO GIVE UP LIKE THAT?!" Shiori flinched.

"It's a no-win scenario, Conan." Shinichi stood to assert his status as boss, towering over his son. They looked more like twins than father and son from an outsiders perspective.

"THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A NO-WIN SCENARIO!" Conan cried.

"Conan, Please don't do this!" Ran was becoming very tearful.

"I HAVE TO SAVE HER! DON'T YOU CARE AT ALL!?"

"We can't save her! You might as well consider her dead!"

"HOW COULD YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!" Conan clawed at his hair is anguish. "I-I--!"

"You two, calm down!" Ran was bawling, flapping her arms frantically. Shiori had backed into a corner.

"I'LL SAVE HER MYSELF! IF YOU TWO ARE SUCH CHICKEN SHI--"

"CONAN!" Shinichi bellowed. Ran shrieked. Shiori flinched. Conan hit the floor. Shinichi unclenched his fist. Conan stared up at his father in horror, clutching his swollen cheek as Ran's arm encircled her husbands as if she expected him to do it again.

"Shinichi!" She cried.

"D...Dad..." Conan spluttered.

"This is your problem! You will never be a great detective if you just rush into things head on! So let the girl go! You think you're the only one in pain? It's not only about you, you selfish brat!" Conan's lips flapped. He stopped, completely blank and motionless. He glared.

"Fine. Be that way. That's just fine." Conan stood, tugging Shiori's behind him as he stormed out of the door. Ran moved to call after him but Shinichi placed an arm in the way.

"Let him go."

"Bu-but--!" When Ran noticed Shinichi's smirk, she backed away in confusion.

"He'll go after her. I know it."

Aiko stared out the slightly shaded one way glass. She didn't recognize this part of Beika but it didn't look friendly. The car rolled slowly to a halt as the lights turned red. Suddenly, a man was thrown against the window causing Aiko to let out a cry and recoil. The man picked himself up and began to half run half limp across the street. Aiko stared at the small patch of blood he had left on the glass. She could've sworn she heard gunfire somewhere in the distance. Vermouth snarled.

"You'll get used to it, with a little co-operation." Aiko gulped as the car whirred back into life and sped past the traffic lights. Eventually, they slid to a gentle stop outside an apartment building. The bar was obviously in the basement. Aiko winced at Vermouth's fingernails digging into her back as she was forced out of the car and down the stairs. This whole situation was almost too Hollywood. The interior of the Black Organizations meeting place was slightly less gritty than Aiko imagined, rather it was actually quite classy, sporting a very wide bar with a range of brightly colored liquor bottles. A ganguro-eque woman laden heavily with makeup over tanned skin, topped with bleached blonde hair was warbling on stage, backed by a small man sat at a large piano. It somehow didn't fit into this rough neighborhood. The characters that occupied it all looking like mobsters. No wonder this was a favorite for the Black Organization. No-one looked up as they burst in through the door, and Vermouth was making no attempt to hide the hand cuffs anymore. A place that was used to crime. Everything was blurring to Aiko. Suddenly she was hurled through a door behind the bar into a stretch of empty crimson walled corridor with dark mahogany wood panels ,lined with doors. After what seemed like an eternity of repeating crimsons walls and doors, the corridor finally came to a stop. Gin reached past Aiko, giving a heavy wrap on the door.

"Who is it?" A muffled voice from inside.

"Gin. We've got the girl."

"Good, bring her in."

By "Bring her in", Aiko assumed he meant: "Hurl to the floor with as much force as possible and slam the door behind her." Her assumption proved to be correct. Rubbing her carpet burnt knees, Aiko looked up. The light in the office was eerie, the bonfire like glow of a weak desk lamp lighting up the almost pitch blackness of this surprisingly small room. The man had his back to her. Aiko gritted her teeth. This was the man. The one who had killed her parents, her grandfather, who had left her in this misery. What could he possibly want her for other than to laugh at her failure? For the first time in her life, Aiko found thoughts of her leaping forwards and tearing a fellow human being's still-beating, blood coated heart out of his chest with her bare hands running through her head, but truthfully she was in enough trouble with the police as it was. Not to mention she didn't want the dramatic life story of Aiko Kuroba to turn into one about a crazed revenge murderer.

"How old are you?" He said. His voice was low and mildly hoarse. Aiko's expression read "Pardon?" but she didn't say it aloud. They lugged her all the way from Paris and all this man has to ask her is "How old are you?". That made a lot of sense.

"I turned 17 a couple of days ago...Why?" The man chuckled.

"Has it been that long?" Aiko picked herself up, dusting off her skirt. Time to turn on the intimidation. Aiko stormed forwards, slapping her arms down on the man's desk.

"Turn around!" She demanded.

"You won't like what you see, Princess." Aiko shivered. The last person to address her that way had coupled it with the prefix "Daddy's little". None the less, Aiko composed herself. Even though she was only intimidating the back of a chair, she still wanted to look her scariest.

"I want answers! What do you want with me? Why did you kill my parents?" Aiko felt tears beginning to fathom. "Why didn't you just kill me, for gods sake? Instead of dragging me to this...!" Aiko stopped and flapped her arms, rolling her eyes in multiple directions like people do when they are too angry to continue or would rather not swear. "WHY?! TURN AROUND!" The man remained silent. He placed one wrinkled hand on the desk as he prepared to turn his chair. Aiko stared at the bulging veins. This man was old. Really old. Slowly he swiveled. Aiko blinked then attempted to stop herself from fainting.

"...Toi...ichi?"


	39. Rebellion and betrayal

Aiko couldn't believe her eyes. She stood completely stationary, staring at the man who she'd believed to be dead all her life, the original Kaito Kid, before her, before her father. The one who began all the madness. And now he sat before her, wrinkled and hollow seeming. She could tell this man had once been attractive, it was all there in the curves of his face and the spark of his eyes, but now it had all worn away, like a gargoyle left to decay in the elements. It scared her half to death how much of herself she saw in this man. He smiled at her wryly before leaning forwards and placing one crinkled hand beneath her chin, turning her head gently left and right.

"You look like your father, You've got his eyes." Aiko was sick of hearing it, but this was the final straw. She didn't want to hear it from this man.

"YOU BASTARD!" Aiko hit the hand that clutched her face with all the force in her body, so much so she ended up stumbling backwards, hitting the floor with a loud crash. He simply laughed.

"WHY?" Aiko screamed. "YOU KILLED YOUR OWN SON? AND HIS WIFE?" There was a silence. Toichi interlocked his fingers and rested his forehead on the back of his hands solemnly.

"You must understand my reasoning, Princess. They say the greatest tragedy is when a father outlives his son...I'm sure you can't be very comfortable on the carpet there, dear. Take a seat." He gestured to an armchair in the corner. Aiko drew a palm across her blotchy red eyes and shook her head, maintaining a murderous glare. Screw the poker face.

"I'll stay here thanks."

"Suit yourself. I really didn't want to kill Kaito. Or Aoko. But it was for the sake of the Organization. You're with us until you die. And Kaito wanted out."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh please, Don't tell me that brat fed you some crap about his career as Kaito Kid being for a good cause? Avenging my death? Pardon my french but bullshit. I'm old. The world thinks I dead. He was fetching the Pandora for me." Aiko coughed in the place of words. "Kaito and Aoko were my two best members. It was real shame to see them go. But I digress. When you were born, I pitched the idea of you becoming a member to Kaito when you were of an appropriate age. He was so riddled with self hatred at all the heinous crimes I had forced him into, he declined straight out. He said he wanted nothing to do with us anymore and the only reason he was going to continue searching for the Pandora was to destroy it. Aoko's thoughts on this were the same. But like I said, you're with us until you die. So I had Gin and Vodka take out your mother while Snake dealt with your father. Of course, they were both dumped at the bottom of the lake but by the time they were found the Kaito Kid suit was so mangled that the police were unable to tell. Of course he kept a spare, which he passed on to you. Now, I think I know the answer my dear, but the reason I brought you here was to replace your father. Will you join us?" Aiko blinked. That last comment didn't compute. At all. Aiko blinked again. Toichi sighed. "Actually, Let me rephrase that. Join us or die. Those are your options. We can't let you walk out of here alive now that you know about us."

Aiko was not computing. Still.

"Well?" Still not computing. From the looks of it, Aiko had gone into full blown shock. Toichi sighed in irritation and flicked his intercom. "Gin? Could you take the girl to the chambers? She's had a miniature freak out."

"Right." Gin appeared quicker than humanly possible, dragging Aiko to her feet and away from that traumatic room. More soldiering down the seemingly endless corridor until he finally stopped at one of the doors which he flung open. A staircase. At the bottom stood a sturdy looking metal door. Aiko suddenly snapped out of her state of complete not-computing-ness when she heard screams coming from the other side. Pulling a key from his pocket, Gin heaved open the door. Another corridor, this time a bland concrete tube, yet again lined with doors. Gin pushed her forwards, opening the second door on the left and yet again hurling Aiko through. At this rate she was going to die from these people mauling her before they'd kill her for not joining them. The room she was now stuck in was no more than a prison cell. A concrete box. Aiko curled up like a hedgehog, cradling her knees against her chest and began to weep. She'd of liked to believe that this wasn't the end for her. She tried to picture Conan's face in her head, he always made her feel better but now it wasn't helping her at all. Not one little bit.

"Did I neglet to tell you earlier that you, my friend, ARE UTTERLY INSANE?" Shiori reprimanded Conan who was dragging her behind him like a ragdoll across Paris Charles-du-Gaulle airport. "You stole your fathers passport and his credit card?!" She screamed. "This is ludicrous! I'm dropping out of this rescue mission! Count me out! Consider me gone!"

"Ah quit y' whining!"

"And did you HAVE TO BRING THE OSAKAN WITH YOU?" The problem with Shinichi's plan was that it had worked a little to well in motivating Conan. In fact he wasn't even aware that he is son was gone yet. Within minutes of the confrontation, Conan had opted to explain everything to Yuma, waited for his parents to leave the room and as Shiori had earlier pointed out, taken Shinichi's credit card and passport. Conan (Without his glasses) looked enough like Shinichi to fool the passport control. Shiori had ended up being more of a hostage than an accomplice to this plan. Conan grinned at Shiori, rather amused by how shocked she was at him, as the trio stopped to catch their breaths in the departure lounge.

"This is awesome!" Yuma was bubbling with excitement. "We're like three-Wait no, Little miss prissy pants wants out—two secret agents and our annoying sidekick on our way to rescue the damsel in distress!"

"Don't put it that way Yuma, this is serious." Conan breathed. Sprinting almost the entire length of Charles-du-Gaulle was quite a feat.

"And I object to the term 'annoying sidekick'..." Shiori huffed.

"Planes boarding in half an hour, We've got time to kill...." Yuma paused. "You guys wanna go grab some ice-cream?" That earned Yuma a very hard wallop in the face from Shiori's tote bag of what Conan had forced her to gather together within the course of two minutes before they took off.

"YOU CRETIN!" She screamed. "IS FOOD ALL YOU CAN THINK ABOUT?!"

"You know something...?" Conan butted in. "You two look like a married couple." Conan hadn't meant this at all, he just wanted to gauge their reactions. His father had taught him the telltale signs for love, it actually came in handy during cases quite often. Funny he had completely overlooked it in Aiko. Right on cue, Both Shiori and Yuma went bright red.

"Ahou! What's that supposed to mean!?"

"I'm not even slightly interested in that gutter dwelling rodent making a pathetic attempt to pass off as human!" Conan chuckled to himself. Nothing from Shiori but he was getting some pretty strong readings from Yuma.

"Whatever, Lets go get that ice-cream you mentioned, Yuma." Conan set off ahead of Yuma and Shiori towards a cute looking desert shop stationed between the WHSmith and the tack shop full of mini french flags and models of the Eiffel tower.

Yuma ended up being the only one actually eating any ice-cream. He'd ordered a very large portion of chocolate fudge ice-cream with all the works, sauce, strawberries, wafers...Conan and Shiori had simply ordered an Earl Grey to share between them. It isn't uncommon for people to get slightly embarrassed when being the only ones ordering food in a group of friends, but this didn't seem to bother Yuma in the least. Not enough to stop him asking for seconds. Which Conan was treating him to.

"It seems you're actually more daring than I first lead on." Shiori stirred her tea absent-mindedly, staring in a somewhat unsubtle school-girl-crush manner at Conan.

"Hmm, You should know I'm not always like this." Conan smiled, slightly embarrassed. "Just with the right motivation, I tend to get a little..." He scratched the back of his head nervously. Yuma looked up, mouth still full of ice-cream.

"Hyuh! And by motivation, he means that Kuroba chick, seriously!"

"YUMA!"

"What?" Yuma took another spoonful of ice-cream. "She told me you screamed your head off when she almost was in a car crash!"

"Aiko said that? I-I mean--! Who wouldn't? She's my best friend, she was almost killed."

"And that time you were visiting in Osaka, you blew everything off and went home just cause she got hit by a dude on a scooter. She wasn't even seriously injured, bump on the noggin, tha's all!"

"She...!" Conan stopped and lowered his voice. "She's just a friend!"

"Oh, that's not what you told me!" Shiori began tapping the side of her teacup with her spoon. "You said to me, and I quote, that you were in love with Aiko, no?"

"I-I-!"

"You can't deny it." Shiori smirked. Conan glared.

"So what if I am...?" He was attempting to sound intimidating but he trailed off into a near whisper towards the end. Yuma began grinning like the murderous psychopaths that Conan had dealt with on many occasions.

"Nyehehehhh...I knew you'd admit it eventually! Actually, you'll be happy to know that she's gotta a little thing for you too!"

"I...I know that. But please. Can we stop talking about this? Aiko might not even be..." He stared into his tea. Shiori leaned and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"She's resilient, I'm sure she'll be fine." That was surprising. Although Conan knew Shiori was probably not bothered at all about whether Aiko was alive or not, she was just trying to score points. He smiled anyway.

"Ran..." Shinichi beckoned his wife, flapping a hand frantically. Ran approached his crouched form cautiously.

"Yes dear?"

"You're not going to believe this. He took my passport."

"What?!" Ran knelt beside him and stared into the empty void where the passports were usually kept. Shinichi chuckled.

"And my credit card...He's probably already at the airport by now."

"My god!" Ran stood abruptly. "I will put an APB out on that kid, I swear!" She took the phone hard enough to break the cord.

"That isn't a bad idea actually, Seeing as he effectively trapped me in Paris. My hat goes off to him." Shinichi laughed to himself, slumping backwards onto the bed.

"Actually I was joking but--"

"Nah, Call Takagi." Shinichi stood again. "If Conan actually manages the find Aiko, we'll of lead the police right to the Black Organization."


	40. The Black Feather

_Hi, sorry that there are so many large gaps in between updates, It's just I've been having the worst writers block spurs not to mention I received a couple of comments which completely discouraged me and drained all my confidence. But managed to get over them and I continued writing to show them I wasn't bothered :D Hope that you guys are still enjoying the story._

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When the cell door finally flung open, Aiko was past caring. She lay curled in the corner, squeezing herself as far into the small space as she could manage within this concrete box. She had decided to reduce herself to skeletal state before she died, that would be a lot easier, wouldn't it?

"That person thinks you've had long enough to recover." It was Gin. "This next decision will determine how soon you leave this room. Are you joining us or not?" Aiko twitched. She heard his footsteps approach harshly before receiving a spine-snapping boot to the back. She cried out, uncurling slightly from her cocoon. "Girl, I asked you a question." How was this man scaring the hell out of her yet he was barely even raising his voice?

"NO!" Aiko screamed. She looked like a 5 year old throwing a temper tantrum. She sensed the rapid approaching of more unnecessary mauling. Gin's thick fingers clawed at her hair, grasping a large clump and tugging Aiko to her feet, causing her to let out a very loud scream. He grinned at her pain. Aiko's poker face had completely given in. She couldn't believe that she bawling right in front of the enemy like a child, crying her eyes out in front of a man who enjoys the taste of fear and constantly lusts for more. Her face flushed, his so close to hers, his breath on her skin almost suffocating her completely.

"So...I take it that you'd rather not join us...?" Aiko glared past the tears but did not reply. He chuckled. "...Fair enough. Wait here." He released her hair, sending Aiko crashing to the ground. The concrete stung upon impact. He was leaving. Past her tears she could see him leaving slowly. But that didn't last long. He reappeared all to soon, this time accompanied by his hulk of a sidekick otherwise known as Vodka. "That person gave us permission to test your pain threshold." The two of them were closing in on her fast. The only thing which kept this room from being nothing but a concrete box was the rather intimidating looking chain adorned with a hook on the ceiling which Aiko had taken very little notice of. Aiko let out a very clearly audible whimper as Gin approached, taking her hands somewhat gently, drawing her arms outwards. Vodka then stepped in to hoist her from the ground, knotting rope tightly around her wrists and binding them completely. Just like a ragdoll, the two hoisted her from the ground completely, affixing her wrist bindings to the solitary hook.

"...So...We beat you until you say yes or you die. Got it?" Vodka spoke in a condescending pigeon english. Aiko shook her head. Not this way. She didn't want to die like this. Just like her parents. By their hand.

Eventually, the rescue trio made their arrival at Haido airport. It was only then that Conan realised how ridiculously flawed this plan was. His parents had been utterly right but he wasn't prepared to admit defeat at the time. It was like searching for a needle in a haystack, pardon the cliché. In the middle of an endless seeming suburb of Tokyo with not even the slightest pointer as to where the organization could be. No contact with Aiko. Not even a general gist or area of town to begin with. Conan knew his father well enough to know he had probably already alerted the Beika and Haido authorities that three teenage detectives were on the loose with his passport and wallet. Plundering into oblivion was never a good idea. What were they supposed to do? Just run around Beika yelling "Aiko-oo!" They at least needed to find something to give them a leg up. Although it probably would be the first place the police would look, Conan saw it as more or less the only option for now. Return to the Kudo mansion. Even if only for a couple of hours. The plane journey had been quite literally hell on earth. Conan never thought he'd find himself deliberately putting his headphones on to avoid talking to someone...Or rather avoiding listening to two other individuals talk. Yuma and Shiori together in a taxi was bad enough but together on a god only knows how long flight from Paris to Japan? Yikes. Conan had never wanted to sit next to a screaming infant more in his life. Shiori was obviously sceptical of their plan to return to the Kudo mansion but needless to say, Conan did not wish for one second to listen to her complaining even more. Yuma was thoroughly irritated too.

The jet-lagged and bedraggled trio trudged up the pathway towards the large wooden doors. They had been met by such heavy rain, they had been completely unprepared seeing as it had been so sunny in Paris. Conan reached and pressed his palm against the door. Much to his horror it was open. They could be expecting them. He raised a hand to Yuma and Shiori.

"Stay here..."

"Why?"

"Shh, Just stay." Conan slid through the crack in the door. He reached for his pocket. He remembered back to a time Aiko and he had been taken to Paris by their parents. Aiko had so casually walked through the metal detector, tossing a swiss army knife right around the edge and catching it again in her hand, just to prove how easy it was. He thanked her for that. And also, he was aware she for reasons that were beyond him carried several non-lethal self defense weapons on her including pepper spray and a taiser. She has always assured him it was in case she got attacked on the way home from school, but he had never believed her. Now that he knew she was Kaito Kid, it suddenly made a whole lot of sense. Kaito Kid didn't kill people. He would've been lying if he said he didn't plunder her suitcase before he set off. Slowly Conan made his way across the main hall.

"Conan-kun?" He turned sharply. And lowered the taiser in his hand with relief.

"Oh! Haibara-san!" He breathed. "What're you doing here?" Ai made her way down the stairs before answering.

"Your father asked me to tend the house while you were gone..." She paused, her eyes catching the taiser. "...Expecting someone else?" Conan quickly hid it behind his back.

"Nu-no..."

"Oh really...You two at the door can come in." She called over his shoulder. Shiori and Yuma did as they were told, looking incredibly confused. Ai tilted her head on one side thoughtfully, staring upwards. There was an eerie silence before she finally spoke.

"My assumption is that because you are here alone and your parents are nowhere to be seen...And neither is Aiko which is particularly strange seeing as you two are very rarely apart...someone is after you?"

"Uh...Well..." Conan stared at his shoes. "Sort of. Listen, Haibara-san--!"

"You'll tell me as long as I don't alert the police or your parents?" Ai chuckled to herself at the thought of the frantic Hakuba, Hattori and Kudo families shoving eachother through the gate to catch a plane here in search of their lost children. Conan blinked with surprise.

"Uh...Yeah."

"I'm all ears." Conan proceeded to have Ai sit down in the living room before beginning his explanation.

"Aiko has gone missing...She rang me from a plane headed here and told me she had been ambushed by some men in black." All the colour suddenly drained from Ai's face, her body becoming completely rigid. The movement was so extreme it was outwardly noticeable and not a gradual change either. It happened in an instant. "I'll admit that I acted like a total idiot after finding out that she was being held around the Beika or Haido area and dragged these two into it..." He gestured to Shiori and Yuma. "But I just lost all rational thought. Anyway, We have no idea where to even begin looking for her." Ai suddenly stood abruptly, sending Conan flying backwards.

"She's dead. Stop looking."

"WHAT?!" Conan spluttered. "What gives you the--?!"

"Okay, fuck it. I know your parents obviously haven't told you--"

"They have. The organization. You know too don't you? I saw your expression change when I mentioned men in black!"

"You don't even know what you're dealing with here." Ai sounded angry. "If you meddle with them, you can expect Ran and Shinichi and myself in body bags by tomorrow. They'll let you get a darn good look at their corpses before you join them!"

"For gods sake, I don't need to hear that from you too! First my parents..." Conan cursed beneath his breath. "Haibara-san. I need your help. You obviously know more about them than I do." Ai turned her back, crossing her arms. Conan lowered his voice. "Please. Do you have anything...Whereabouts...at all?"

"Perhaps."

"Really?"

"A place somewhere in the Ranku district."

"Ranku?"

"Small dirty area of town just on the outskirts of Haido. A bar called The Black Feather. I've been there once."

"Huh?" Conan, Shiori and Yuma chorused.

"How could you have been there...? And survived...?...I thought they killed all who--" Conan asked. Ai hung her head slightly.

"I knew someone on the inside quite closely, I won't bore you with it."

"If you knew they were there the whole time, why didn't you tell my parents?" Conan suddenly turned on the intimidation.

"This is a very rough guess. I don't even know that it is even there anymore, I haven't set foot in the Ranku district since I was a teenager, I just remember two members went for a drink there once because they admired the singing voice of a woman who always used to entertain there. Although they have an annoying habit of switching places and detonating all their old haunts if they think they've been spotted. Almost every bar they've been to lies in ashes."

"What makes you think they'd take Kuroba there?" Shiori raised an eyebrow. Ai shrugged.

"You could at least pick up some information from the informed regular patrons. Who knows, you might even run into one of them if you're lucky."

"You? Don't you mean we?" Yuma crossed his arms. "You don't seriously expect us to go in alone do you?"

"Quite frankly, yes." Ai made her way to the door. Conan sped forwards like a bullet.

"HAIBARA-SAN!" He wrapped a hand around her wrist. "Please!" He begged. She turned, a look of pure malice in her eyes. One disturbing enough to cause Conan to release her wrist. He had been reduced to the lowest for of pleading. Puppy dog eyes...And blackmail

"I will get down on my knees, I will follow you to the ends of the earth and never leave you until you help us."

"You sound like a spoilt brat. Which, might I note, you are."

"I'm not thinking about myself. I don't care if they kill me."

"Oh really? Why did you drag two innocents into this? I'm sure they'd like to enjoy life a bit longer."

"I'm sure Aiko would too. Please. I'm begging you." Conan clasped Ai's hand and ,as promised, dropped to his knees. He looked like he was about to propose to her. "Please." Ai stared for a few minutes, a little shocked. She had reduced Conan to pleading on his knees. It was the boys scary resemblance of his father which made this so strange. Ai sighed in defeat.

"I'll drive you there. But you're on your own after that. If things don't go well, you won't be able to say I didn't tell you so."

"You won't regret this, Haibara-san..."


	41. Stalker

_Arggh! This writers block! Gah, Sorry to keep you guys waiting for so long, I really don't think I've ever had a case this bad. I feel like what I've finally produced is a little disappointing though, Sorry TT__TT_

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Aiko screamed in agony and she felt Gin driving his knee into her stomach once more. Vodka found this incredibly amusing. Aiko threw her head to one side the spit the collecting blood in her mouth to the floor. Gin smiled at her murderously before delivering a swift punch to the shoulder. Aiko tried not to cry out but the pain was becoming unbearable. How could she of been reduced to being their human punchbag like this?

"Hey Aniki, Do you think we should stop...He said not to--" Gin hushed his partner by raising a gloved finger to his lips.

"No, she looks like she's giving up the ghost." Gin snarled before teasingly flicking Aiko in between the eyes. Aiko coughed, attempting the fathom enough vocal power to speak one line.

"I..." She wheezed. "I'll bite...off...my tongue....and then you can watch me...bleed to...death...Will that...make...you happy?" The smile faded from Gin's face at that. Aiko was dead serious too. Probably a slow and painful lesser form of seppuku but she was going to let these two bat her around like a pinata to death. Aiko prepared herself.

"VODKA! Give me your glove! She's gonna do it!" Vodka fumbled with the fabric, which was snatched up by Gin who promptly wedged the fabric into Aiko's mouth, rendering her incapable of committing suicide like she had just threatened. Aiko was thoroughly confused by this. Why were they beating her if they didn't want her to kill herself? Did they just want the satisfaction of doing it themselves? She considered that her grandfather had a secret agenda right from the beginning. He would've of bothered bringing her all the way from Europe if he just planned to bleed her to death in this rotten cellar. Gin drew back his clenched fist for another punch then suddenly stopped in mid-motion.

"Aniki?" Vodka tilted his head on one side.

"According to the scarlet thread, we've been rumbled." Gin gestured to Aiko. "Untie her. We're out of here." Aiko raised her head. They were untying her from where she hung, carting her nigh unconscious body off down the corridor and straight out into the bar. Now, most people would normally at least bat an eyelid upon seeing two men carrying a half dead teenage girl across the room but not one of the patrons even looked up.

Ai, following her begrudging agreeing to help the intrepid trio on their quest, she had taken the liberty of borrowing the Hakase's car (She didn't intend to fit all three of them onto the back of her motorbike). The drive had been long and silent despite the inevitable situation of Yuma and Shiori being in an enclosed space. Conan assumed the two were both intimidated by Ai. He knew that would've been his initial reaction too, had he not known her since he was only a couple of weeks old.

The little yellow Beetle screeched to a halt outside the bar. In such a grotty district, this cute little vehicle looked incredibly out of place amongst motorbikes and battered cars, missing tires and bleeding petrol. When Ai had described the Ranku district and "dirty", she hadn't been wrong. It was indeed a ghetto, in the best sense of the word, every single corner of this district consumed by filth and grime. It's residents fit the mold perfectly, shady characters who looked like they had or at least should of done jail time and homeless passed out in alleyways. Every wall was caked with graffiti, ever building derelict and then to come to this small bar just where the district began to peter out into something slightly more pleasant was strange as it was actually a relatively high class establishment, not at all living up to it's outer shell. Conan couldn't believe his eyes, just as the car rolled to a stop, he saw her. Or what was left of her anyway. The men running from the building carrying Aiko's limp and bloodied form. Conan slapped his palms against the glass.

"AIKO! HEY! AIKO! AIK—MFF!" He was suddenly cut of by Ai who quite literally tackled him, bringing him down into his seat and out of sight, a hand clamped slightly over his mouth.

"What're you doing! Shush!" Ai hissed. Conan couldn't help but feel slightly awkward with her more or less lying on top of him. Conan began to struggle, much to Ai's irritation and eventually managed to wriggle out of her grasp, hammering on the glass windows with all his strength.

"AIKO! AIIIKMFFAIKO!" He struggled as Ai attempted to shut him up. Needless to say, the sight of a young boy struggling so violently inside such a small space was definitely going to draw someones attention. And it did. The attention of the very people Ai had been attempting to try and hide from. Gin turned, handing Aiko over to Vodka who quickly hurried her to the Porsche parked across the street while he examined the area. Ai grappled with Conan tugging him down out of sight, but he continued to struggle in vain. Ai rolled her eyes. She didn't want it to have to come to this but the boy obviously wasn't going to shut up otherwise. Quickly, she wrapped her arms around the boy and tugged him straight up against her chest, smothering him completely. In the most awkward way possible. Shiori diverted her gaze, Yuma sat there feeling incredibly jealous. Gin scanned the perimeter. Stillness. He turned and climbed into the the Porsche alongside Vodka. Ai released Conan who gasped for air hungrily, grappling his way back to the window.

"HEY! Follow the car!" Conan began flailing.

"Calm down..." Ai straightened herself and tugged across the seat belt. "These people do nothing but check if they're being followed" The car slowly buzzed to life and began to follow the trail of the Porsche.

"Ayumi!"

"Eh?"

"They're leaving, Drive!"

"Oh!" The young police woman quickly rolled out of the alleyway, slowly beginning the pursuit of the yellow car. "Call Shinichi, let him know."

Gin adjusted his rear view mirror. The murderous grin on his face was indescribable when he noticed the little yellow Beetle, slipping along quietly behind them.

"Looks like we've got company..."

"Do you want me to speed up?"

"No, Let the thread deal with them."

"Who is that, Aniki?" Gin didn't dignify his partner in crimes question with an answer, the silence allowing the man to know he probably should be more well informed. Vermouth and her silver tongue had managed to gain the trust of someone Aiko had assumed to be at least a 12th on her side if anything, the reason being that he had had the courtesy to warn her of Hakuba before the two encountered for the first time. Aiko herself was completely unaware that her and this person she had once assumed to be her college were in fact in the same car at the present moment in time, leaving the Black Feather which would soon be no more than a smoldering pile of rubble. The Organization didn't leave loose ends. All needed to be tied. Aiko lay in the back of the car, movement seeming like a far away dream, wondering what the hell she was doing here in the first place and why they had suddenly just carted her away from the torture chamber and hoisted her bloodied near-corpse into the back of their car. As for the person she had assumed her friend, now taking on the guise of the Scarlet Thread, he was sat in the seat forwards beside Aiko's grandfather, arms crossed in smug delight, yet completely unaware of Aiko's existence at the present. He smiled at Toichi sat beside him.

"I must say, at first I was a little hesitant but really, you aren't quite as rough around the edges as I thought you would be." The red-headed youth played with a strand of his aforementioned crimson hair. Toichi smiled at the young man.

"No, of course not. We like to keep things nice and clean."

"I like that..." He paused. "Remember the terms we agreed on?"

"Of course, You want a share in our power and that girl brought to you unharmed, correct? Oh, and the detective harmed. Don't worry." Toichi chuckled inwardly, wondering what it was that this boy found so interesting about his granddaughter and why he wasn't picking up on her ,bound and gagged, in the back of the car.

"Right. In case you hadn't noticed, they are following us."

"We didn't employ you to tell us things like that, we employed you to act." Toichi swerved his head and nodded. The young man nodded in response.

"I'll deal with them."

Ai trailed slowly as possible, praying that Gin hadn't spotted her. He was unaware that the Hakase drove a yellow beetle so he wouldn't be able to tell it was them simply from the car but he was more worried that he might catch sight of her face in the wing mirror. Needless to say, this entire escapade was bold, perhaps even foolish, but Ai didn't know why she felt so compelled to help the son of Shinichi Kudo and a girl she had exchanged brief conversation with over tea on only a couple of occasions. Something had drawn her to both children somehow, she couldn't help but be intrigued. She knew there was a lot more beneath both surfaces than met the eye.

"Not to complain--" Shiori began.

"That's new." Yuma huffed in irritation only to be rewarded with an elbow in the ribs.

"But is the heating a little high in here?" Conan had been picking up on how edgy Ai was ever since he first mentioned the organization. The detective side of him definitely said that there was a deeper connection, and her mentioning being close to someone on the inside either suggested a lover or a family member. But he couldn't make heads or tails of why she so obligingly assisted them. Nor would he ever have time to. Shiori's complaint about the heat had in fact been the car slowly beginning to burn, beginning with the engine. It was only a matter of time before Akai reached the petrol tank. Then the detective would be well out of his way. The Black Organization almost literally had him strung up as a puppet, dancing to the tunes they played.


	42. Broken in two

_Making the best of getting rid of my writers block and apologising to you out there who had to wait, Two chapters in one day! Enjoy :D_

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Aiko stared up, craning to see out of the window of the limo. It had grown considerably dark since their setting off and she noticed a couple of raindrops hammering upon the glass. She tried to think of all the things she had seen in detective movies Conan had insisted she watched, all the Sherlock quotes he had bombarded her with that could possibly help her figure out her location. The faint smell of sewage told the Beika River, the distinct crackling on of the tires against the ground said a rough and sandy unpaved area, like a hard shoulder at the side of the road or a parking lot at a beach. But a warehouse seemed more likely in her case. Somewhere around the more industrial parts of Haido further away from Ranku, judging by the visible smog in the air. Now she had a rough idea of where she was. The abandoned warehouse at the waterfront. No-one had touched the place since a murder had supposedly occurred in the area almost 9 years ago. Shot and then dumped in the lake. Suddenly, she was blinded by the wind and rain upon her skin with the opening of the trunk. Smiling down up her condescendingly was her grandfather. She glared.

"Time to get out, my child." He had taken precautions to make sure Akai did not catch on to the fact he was being played for a fool by having Gin and Vodka escort him to the metal huts beside the building where they were to discuss their plans for midnight. Toichi wanted to show Aiko something within the warehouse.

Aiko stood shakily as Toichi lead her across the ground, the rain biting her skin. Slowly, Toichi guided her towards the warehouse, hands on her shoulders. Aiko stood in the entrance, staring at the large empty metal box of an interior.

"This all you...wanted...To show me an...empty room?" Aiko breathed shakily.

"This is where your father died, Aiko. The warehouse where I shot him personally. The fool assumed it was Snake. I was in perfect disguise." Aiko shuddered, her knees almost giving in on her completely, the icy air lashing at her. She began to feel sick.

"N-no..." She whimpered. "I don't want to be in here...Let me go please..."

"Take a good long look Aiko."

"N-no!" Aiko snapped her eyes shut. The horrors that had occurred here were closing in around her, her mind tortured by images of her father taking his last few breaths on the night she would remember for the rest of her life, the night he never came home. "PLEASE, STOP!" Aiko cried. Toichi finally released her shoulders, letting her fall to her knees. "I can't take this, I want out!" She pleaded. Why did she feel as if Toichi was enjoying this slightly?

"You don't have to go the same way, Aiko. It would be such a shame to waste someone with so much talent and spark as yourself." She froze as she felt the barrel of a gun being pressed into the back of her head. "So make your choice right here. Do you really want to follow your fathers footsteps all the way into your grave? I'm sure your little boyfriend will be having nightmares for the rest of his life when he finds you here. Not that the rest of his life will be very long." Aiko gritted her teeth.

"Leave Conan out of this, He's done nothing..." She sobbed. "...He doesn't even know where I am right now..."

"Oh how wrong you are my dear." Toichi chuckled. "He's on his way here right now."

"What?!"

"Well, he would be anyway. The thread dealt with him."

"W-who?! Why? Huh?!" Aiko stuttered.

"He's dead, my child. Sincerest apologies." Aiko's heart stopped completely, her breathing slamming to a halt. A horrible feeling was welling up within her, the exact feeling that had risen when the police officers had informed her of her parents death. It stung, it burnt, it almost killed her, a never ending pain, the aftertaste of her parents death still lingered with her to this day. Now Conan too. Aiko screamed, clawing at her drenched hair in agony. Although she knew throwing a tantrum about it wouldn't do anything, she didn't care anymore. Toichi stood behind Aiko in silence as she howled in pain at loosing her first and only love.

"There's nothing left out there for you Aiko. Only me. The British girl and the Osakan went with him, along with your lovely next door neighbor, Haibara Ai."

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Aiko screamed, leaping to her feet and throwing herself against the man. She felt like a complete idiot when he simply slapped a palm on her forehead, leaving her flailing at thin air. Upon releasing she was far to weak, Aiko toppled forwards into Toichi's arms.

"Aiko, I really truly do not wish to kill you." He spoke down to the girl sobbing into his shirt. "What would there be left for you if you escaped us? Who would you go to? And we'd only find you again anyway. You don't want to die, do you? Your whole life ahead of you..."

Aiko stared up at her grandfather. He smiled warmly at her. Upon seeing her tortured expression turn to one more submissive, he realised he had won.

"I...I'll join you."

Toichi ran a hand through her hair.

"Good girl."

The four stood, staring at the flaming remains of the Hakase's little yellow beetle in the hard shoulder, soaked by the rain. Yuma turned to the very breathless Shiori stood beside him.

"How did you know the car was going to....?"

"I don't know..." She breathed, her voice shaking. None of them were sure whether it was due to the cold of the fear or a mix of the two. Conan mentally replayed the scene in an attempt to comprehend what had just happened. Everything had been smoothly, assuming the organization hadn't caught sight of them, when all of a sudden Shiori had begun to panic, screaming that everyone should get out of the car. Conan was surprised that Yuma had for once, rather than telling her to quit whining, actually listened to her and urged Haibara to pull over. The car had then burst into flames.

"The Hakase won't be happy..." Ai crossed her arms, shaking her head to remove the wet strands of hair from her vision. "...Perfect, we seem to be stranded in the middle of nowhere now.

"Did any of you guys bring a phone?" Yuma asked. "Or is there an emergency phone around here somewhere?" Conan and Shiori both shook their heads in unison. For a while there was silence, save for the howling of the wind and the hissing of the tires against the wet road as cars passed. A car passed, then another. Conan squinted into the distance at the passing car.

"Hey...." He noticed the car slowing further up the road as it began to reverse. "It's Ayumi-neechan! OI!" He waved. The car pulled to a stop beside the four who looked like homeless hitchhikers at this point. The window of the sleek red car rolled down.

"Conan-kun, what're you doing out here in the cold?" Ayumi poked her head out. She popped back in briefly, turning her attention to the flaming wreck. "What happened here?!"

"Look, Ayumi-neechan." Conan stood forwards. "It's a long story, but I need a lift."

"No can do, honey. I'll have Mitsuhiko-kun drive out and pick you up, he's free. Truthfully, we were tailing the same people as you. We bugged their car. This is probably to dangerous for you kids, you don't know about this organization."

"Neither do you, I'll wager my fathers credit card ,which I still have on me by the way, that he hired you two to tail me and see if I'd lead you to the organization." Ayumi averted her eyes.

"Get in." Smiling with satisfaction, Conan climbed into the back of the car, Shiori, Yuma and Ai in tow.

"Now Aiko. You'll be happy to know that the gem we stole from you in Paris was in fact, The Pandora." Toichi and Aiko were sat in the car. It's windows were darkened and Akai was not to know that Aiko was with them. Aiko hated herself. Right to the very core. She couldn't believe she had been such a coward. She knew if she escaped them, she'd be alone and...really she didn't have the guts to kill herself. Despite threatening to do so in front of Gin and Vodka, she was on the brink of chickening out. She was relieved that they had prevented her from taking her own life, really. Or was she? She was so confused. She would've liked to think of herself as a prisoner, but she had volunteered. Toichi had broken her completely. Toichi smoothed back his hair as he continued to speak.

"I apologise for hauling you around the city so pointlessly, I simply wished that this would be the place you took your last breath, should you decide not to join us...The activation of the Pandora begins at midnight, when the Volley Comet crosses eclipses the full moon. For effectiveness, we have chosen for this to take place at one of the highest points in Beika."

"Totou tower?" Aiko questioned.

"Precisely. It's not that far from here. Don't worry. Also, I was hoping you might do the honours..."

"You said what now?" Aiko blinked.

"We want you to be the one holding the Pandora. You too can be immortal." Aiko was silent for a moment.

"I don't want to be immortal. You've taken everything from me." Aiko spat bitterly. "What would the point be? You've killed my friends, my parents...."

"But you have us now."

"...I don't want you." Toichi ignored that last comment.

"Anyway, Terribly sorry, my dear. But you're going to have to ride in the boot again. Cars a bit crowded."

"Who by?" Aiko raised an eyebrow. "As far as I know there's only you and the other two."

"We're picking up some people on the way. I don't want to have to waste all my good duct tape on keeping you quiet, so I'll ask you now politely if you would remain silent and out of sight for the duration of the journey?" Aiko didn't respond. "Ah, here come our three fellows now. In the back you pop, quickly now."

Silently, Aiko did as she was told.


	43. Belong to me

"Ah, geez." Ayumi slapped a palm on the screen of the cars sat nav.

"Hmm?" Conan tilted his head on one side. The back of the car was rather squashed, to the point Shiori was almost sat on Yuma's lap, much to the pairs chagrin. There wasn't much room in the back, although the front was kitted out with adequate enough space to allow Officer Kojima to sit.

"They're leaving the Haido Industrial estate, And if I'm not mistaken, The road they are taking is something of a shortcut to central Beika. We might have to make a U-turn at the riverside..."

"Maybe I should inspect the warehouse..." Genta commented, his fingernails picking at the lid of a cola can.

"Nah, I won't let you chicken out on this one. This organization is serious business." Ayumi smiled. Genta recoiled into his seat slightly. "And I sure as hell ain't going in alo...With only 5 people. You count as two people so we might just have 'em outnumbered. Shinichi is on his way here, The Hattori's are stuck over there, what with Kazuha having a bun in the oven and all and I'm pretty sure the Hakuba couple and that red-head woman are coming too."

"Red-head?" Shiori tilted her head on one side. "Could you perhaps be referring to...ah...what's her name...Akiko Koizumi?"

"Akako."

"That's what I said." Shiori slumped into her almost-seat, furrowed brow and thoughtful expression.

"She's Akai's mother" Conan filled Shiori in.

"Akai?"

"Yeah, Didn't you see him at the airport? Y'know, Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome. Red hair, never smiles..."

"Oh him. Yes. He did catch my eye." Shiori paused as if she meant to speak but remained silent for some odd reason.

The drive to Totou tower had been relatively painless, save for Aiko had accidentally kicked the back of the seat while switching positions, which lead to Toichi scolding her rather severely for almost getting caught by...Whoever the hell she wasn't supposed to be seen by. It appeared they had quite some waiting to do before midnight. On the roof of the Totou tower. Aiko had never been so tempted to dive off a building without her hang-glider. Aiko sat. legs crossed on the floor of the upper observation deck, staring out over Beika with almost what seemed like disdain, while Toichi ordered the Organization around. All his requests were fairly pointless, Aiko assumed Toichi's gratuitous verbal bashing was simply because he liked to feel like he was in control of someone. Aiko buried her head in her knees. Conan's apparent death had no where near finished taking it's effect on her.

"People die kid." She glanced up briefly to see the sniper wielding woman standing above her. "Get over it." Oh, how wonderfully profound and sensitive. Aiko returned to her little cocoon. Akai strode across the deck, the Pandora gem clasped in his hands. Toichi approached the young man, striding in the manner of a salesman picking his prey. He took the gem and smiled.

"Here she is, As we agreed. Enjoy." He whispered slyly. Toichi thought it would've been best to wait until Aiko was capable of walking on her own two feet without aid before presenting her to Akai. A little worse for ware but to Akai's eyes, unharmed. Akai stared across at the sulking Aiko before smiling or at least pulling some expression which may have resembled a smile in an alternate universe at Toichi. Aiko heard his slow footsteps against the polished floors approaching. She simply assumed it was Toichi here once more to bombard her with his odd smooth talk. But upon raising her tear filled eyes, she was met by the severe shock of seeing Akai staring at her.

"AKAI!" Aiko leaped forwards, throwing herself into his arms. Akai crouched motionlessly, Aiko hanging off his shoulders. For a moment there he could've sworn that she fathomed just a drop of...guilt? "I'm so glad you're here! I thought that everyone was gone! But then you..." Akai stared at the girl strangely. Did she just forget about how brutally he had attacked her simply to try and tug at her heart strings. No, she was just incredibly naïve.

"Aiko..." Akai guided the girl away from him. "...I hate to break it to you, but I'm working for them." There was a brief pause as Aiko stared into his burning red eyes. She shook her head.

"You too?" She uttered with disbelief. "I can't believe this..."

"Aiko...Please don't think to badly of me for this..."

"Why not? It's obvious that they roped you into this by dangling the carrot of immortality in front of you didn't they? So you can spend the rest of your life being adored by everyone..." Aiko spat.

"But not you?" Aiko stared for a minute. Why was Akai acting so...strangely gentle as opposed to his normal abrasive self? Why was he even bothering to break the news that he was playing for the opposing team so gently? Wouldn't he normally be cackling and calling her a fool for not spotting it sooner?

"Not me." Aiko made eye contact with Akai for only a few mere seconds before he lunged forwards, firmly taking her head between his hands and locking her in a deep kiss. Aiko let out a cry, her hands hitting the floor in an attempt to keep herself upright. After a few moments of complete shock, Aiko recovered her senses, tugging her lips away from his.

"Stop it!" She cried, shuffling away from him as fast as possible, desperately wiping her mouth to try and rid herself of the taste. Akai simply crawled after Aiko, who in her scuffle was sent crashing to the floor. Akai moved forwards, placing his arms either side of her, effectively pinning her to the floor. It obviously didn't seem to matter to him that they had spectators. A shiver hurtled down Aiko's spine as Akai's fingers traced up her neck, coming to rest on her lips.

"No, while they did offer me immortality, They also offered me you."

Aiko gulped. Akai brought his head a little closer.

"I want you." Aiko stared at Akai in horror. Before she had a chance to speak, Akai moved closer and began to kiss her neck gently. Aiko snapped her eyes shut, squirming at the sensation of his breathing against her skin. "...And only you..."

"This is ridiculous!" Aiko groaned, pushing Akai away from her and quickly rolling across the floor. "Why would you want me? You...could have any girl in the world!"

"But I don't want them." Akai shuffled a little closer once more. Aiko backed away at the speed of light. A funny game of shuffle-around-the-floor-kiss-chase this had become. "They're all so blind...After I met you, how easily they all fell under my spell almost sickened me." Aiko shook her head. "I don't care about any of them anymore. I want you." Aiko felt a strange sickness in her heart. Not love, want. The way he had kissed her had not a scrap of genuine emotion or love, just lust. Aiko stood sharply without another word spoken in Akai's direction and began to stomp across the deck, biting her lip almost to the point of blood. She had so spectacularly binned the poker face, her father probably would've slapped her.

"Don't walk away."

"Kyah!" Aiko leaped backwards to avoid colliding with Akai who had somehow materialized in front of her. She noticed Chianti was watching this whole affair, looking incredibly amused. Utilizing her amazing ability to trip over nothing, Aiko found herself falling over backwards once more, only to have Akai catch her, leaving the two in an incredibly cliché pose which looked as if they had frozen mid way through tangoing.

"I don't see the point in attempting to resist me, Aiko." Akai grinned maliciously. "The detective is dead, You can't spend your entire life laboring over his death. Give me a try, I'll make you forget him."

"I only found out a couple of hours ago, you insensitive asshole!" Aiko felt the lump in her throat growing. "Request permission for a couple of years to recuperate, your majesty?!"

"I was blessed without the gift of patience, I'm afraid milady." Akai moved in once more, lightly pressing his lips against hers. "Relax." Aiko simply glared, slipping out of the awkward pose he had her in. She stood, her arms crossed.

"It also seems you were cursed with the gift of being an egotistical sadist who has no idea how to comprehend the feelings of others. You've never had to deal with anyone dying in your life have you?" Aiko croaked, choking back tears. "I can't forget Conan...It just doesn't...work like that." Akai stood for a minute simply staring at Aiko, who stood hunched over, hair shadowing her face, biting down on her thumb in an attempt to keep herself from bawling again. Akai chuckled lowly.

"Of course you can. I'll make you forget." Once again like a bullet Akai was before her at the speed of light. He harshly grabbed Aiko's wrist, throwing her backwards against one of the large pillars on the observation deck, and crushed his lips against hers again, harsh and intense. Despite the fact Akai had released her wrist, Aiko found herself completely glued to the wall, rendered entirely incapable of pushing him away.

"Please! Stop!" Aiko pleaded as Akai began to press light quick kisses all around her jawline and her face. For some reason begging him to stop only seemed to encourage him. He slipped an arm around Aiko's waist, tugging her closer to him and continuing to attack her lips viciously. Aiko wriggled, placing her hands on his shoulders in an attempt to push him away but all of the strength drained from her body upon contact.

"Do...don't..." His lips traced along her neck. Aiko's vision was becoming slightly fuzzy.

"AKAI!" A voice called. He suddenly pulled away, leaving Aiko slumped against the wall. "Please, there are more pressing matters at hand!" It was Toichi obviously. Aiko couldn't decide whether there really were more pressing matters at hand on he just didn't like the sight of Akai sexually harassing his granddaughter. Akai winked at Aiko.

"Until next time." He smiled, before leaving her alone on the observation deck.

The darkness was closing in fast as Ayumi's car pulled up outside the Totou tower, now bathed in the glowing orange light that came with the night.

"We can only assume they are in the tower, the car is parked outside." Genta poked his head out the window, craning to look to the summit of the towering structure.

"And now we play the waiting gaaame..." Ayumi stretched her words, smiling like a TV cop.

"Woah woah, there is no waiting game!" Conan stated. "God only knows what they're doing to Aiko up there! God only knows what they are doing full stop! You cannot tell me we are going to play the waiting gaaame..." He mocked Ayumi's tone. "...while they...do god only knows what!" There was quite a long silence while everyone waited for Conan to calm down.

"It's that you're getting impatient my little Conankins, I understand but we should probably let them make the first move."

"Don't call me Conankins!"

"Ayumi does have a point, Always good to make an entrance." Ai stared out the window. "I get that you are agitated Conan, What with the constant doom and gloom being dumped on you non-stop but it would be better to wait for backup...And your father to get here, his flight lands in an hour, Haido airport isn't far from here." Conan sighed heavily, slumping back into his seat.

"Aww, Look at that..." Ayumi grinned warmly at Shiori and Yuma who had fallen asleep on each others shoulders. Conan tried to take his mind away from Aiko, but seeing that had only made him think of her more. Waiting wasn't going to be easy. No, he couldn't wait. He checked Ayumi was occupied, checked the locks to make sure he didn't end up making a complete idiot out of himself and threw the car door open, climbing out and bolting towards the Totou tower at full speed.

"Oi! Conan-kun!" Ayumi called.

"Let him go." Ai said casually. "I have faith in him."


	44. The hour of the dead

Toichi's hand fell onto her shoulder. Aiko knew the members of the Organization had been making bets as to whether she was still alive or not and daring eachother to go up and poke her (Well, mainly Chianti, None of them actually did it), just like a group of immature teenagers simply because she'd been curled up on the floor for so long.

"Aiko, It's time." She coiled herself up a little tighter.

"I don't...want this...you do it. I'll stay here."

"You have no choice, I'm afraid. This is just one of your many obligations as a member now. You can't go against my requests." He placed the Pandora gem in her arms. Aiko stared at the facets of the gem, her reflection not present. She turned it in her hands. There was definitely liquid present within this large doublet. Aiko rotated her head to look up at the grandfather. He was smiling, but Aiko only saw a monster. Regardless, she climbed slowly to her feet, took the mans hand and made her way slowly to the staircase.

It was cold and rainy at the summit of the Totou tower and Aiko wasn't adequately equipped for the weather. She flinched, closing her eyes as Toichi forced her out into the cold. They were all aligned in a semi circle, dressed in long black coats silently watching as Aiko made her way across to the very edge, clasping the gem in her hands. It had already begun to hum faintly in anticipation for the full moon, currently obscured by the clouds. With the wind blowing in the right direction, it was certain to clear just before midnight. Aiko apologised. Apologised to her parents, to Conan, to everyone and everything she'd ever cared about. She was almost literally dancing on their graves.

Conan hurtled up the staircase. He'd never run so fast in his life. If they weren't here, it was all over. If they were, then god only knows what he was going to do. He had always been one for planning ahead but in these last few days he had really ignored that aspect of his personality. Nothing had been planned, he was just moving forward on one thing set in his mind. Aiko. He found himself becoming a little breathless. Why had he taken the stairs in the first place. Not thinking rationally. Not one bit.

"Oh for gods sake, Can't you just die when you're told!?" A disgruntled voice echoed throughout the stairwell. Conan stopped briefly, partly to catch his breath, partly to locate the speaker.

"Who--?"

"Me." Quite literally from thin air, Akai appeared before him, dressed smartly in tuxedo and smiling murderously. Conan recoiled, stepping down two of the thousand steps he had spent so much time climbing. Akai stepped down to meet him.

"You are tenacious..." He snarled. "You irritate me."

"Akai, what the hell are you doing here?" Conan breathed.

"Oh come off it, Mr Detective, I think you should know that all too well. Does it ever strike you as odd that I so conveniently interrupted that little romantic moment between you and the girl?" Conan stood speechless. "Right now, History is about to be made, And I wouldn't be fulfilling my obligations to the Organization if I didn't kill you right now, which might I note Aiko so willingly gave in to."

"The Organization?"

"Oh didn't you hear?" Akai stared at his fingernails, as if he was just spreading gossip. "Aiko is officially a member now, Voluntarily."

"That's a lie."

"I would say something, but talking it out with you is becoming incredibly boring. Here is my test. I will make every single stair fall away one by one. If you truly love her, you'll reach the top before you plunge to your death. If not, she's mine. Are these fair terms?"

"I--"

"Go, They are already crumbling." Akai vanished. Conan stood for a minute in a vain attempt to comprehend the situation before beginning to continue his ascent. Judging by the distant ominous rumbling, Akai was a man of his word. He picked up the pace a little. What floor was this? God only knows. Conan could feel the ground beneath him growing weak. Dare he even look back? He simply continued to run with all his might, his legs ferrying him to the peak as fast as they could. Conan heard rumbling, the crash of metal poles falling, the lights in the stairwell beginning to flicker. Conan breathed in and out, trying to conserve a little bit of his energy. The rumbling was growing louder. He didn't dare look back. The lights continued to flicker as the sounds of impending doom drew nearer and near, chasing him further and further. The lights suddenly dropped altogether, plunging the room into darkness. Conan coughed. He felt sick to his stomach, he couldn't continue running forever on an uphill slant. He knew Aiko would've been great at this kind of thing, as her ability to run for hours non stop had the PE teacher constantly begging her to join the schools track and field club and just about every student in Teitan completely baffled. As in shape as he was, Conan still had doubts about whether he would reach the top in time. Maybe even for Aiko this would seem like a bit much. Louder and louder. Conan removed his glasses briefly, attempting to see behind him in the faint reflection, all the while keeping his focus. If he slipped, it was over. If he stopped to catch his breath, it was over. He could see in the glass shattering, it was literally creeping up behind him. He could see parts of the structure collapsing in on themselves, although he hardly needed his glasses for that. It was here now, the full blown destruction chasing him, he could feel every piece of ground he stepped on falling into an abyss the minute his foot left it. He sped up to the best of his ability, crying out in anguish. Suddenly, two metal poles gave way, crashing into the stairs and effectively obscuring his path. Conan, rather than any rational human being who would slow down, sped up, faster and faster, towards the obstruction. He placed his hand on the metal, vaulting it with awe inspiring agility, giving him a couple more inches distance from the gaping hole that was forming in the stairs. He ran, it chased. Hounding him further and further. Conan gasped with relief when he saw the top, so close, he reached. Suddenly, the ground gave way completely. Conan found himself free-falling for about five seconds before his hand latched onto the edge. Leaving him suspended over nothing. He reached up with his other hand, kicking his legs in an attempt to pull himself up. 1091 ft was a long way to fall. With all his might, he began to hoist himself up.

"Nice try."

He looked up. It was Akai, once more. Staring down at him in a way that clearly stated: _You lose. _Slowly, he placed on foot on Conan's left hand, digging hard into his index finger, causing it to slip. Conan cried out.

"Well, you'll be happy to know, the girl is mine now. She'll be in safe hands, don't worry. I would suggest that maybe one day you'll meet in the afterlife, but I don't think she'll be dying any time soon. Or at all for that matter."

"I'm sorry." Akai suddenly removed his foot from Conan's hand which was just barely grasping at life. He chuckled with absolute disbelief.

"You...are apologising to me? When I'm about to kill you?" Conan didn't even know why he had. In response, he nodded, looking slightly sheepish. Akai cackled at this. "You absolute IDIOT! I almost envy you! Peh! I would be nice to live in such a small bubble of ignorance. But anyway...Tah-tah then!" He made one hard stamp down on Conan's left hand. He cried out as it came loose. Only one hand supporting him now. Conan closed his eyes.

"Stop...right...there. Koizumi." He heard a gun click. Conan opened his eyes in surprise to see Akai with his hands raised in surrender, Ai stood behind him with the barrel of a gun pressed to the back on his head. She smiled down at Conan, while wrapping an arm around Akai's neck and swinging him out of the way.

"Seriously, Didn't it occur to you to take the elevator?"

"Umm...How about HELP ME PERHAPS!?" Conan cried. "I'M SLIPPING!" Ai bent down and did

as she was told, opting to sit on Akai to try and keep him down. Conan breathed a sigh of relief as he tumbled in her arms.

"Akai...You made the entire staircase collapse but you didn't do something about this because...?" Conan stared at him in confusion. Ai pulled the trigger of the gun, only to have it click to signify not being loaded. She smiled.

"I can't go against an organization member..." Akai grunted. Conan blinked.

"Ai, you--?"

"Talk later." She stood quickly, affixing Akai's hands behind his back and as they made their way across the metal walkway, making a quick ascent to the top.

Aiko stood, the gem in her hands. The moon was approaching. She half expected Toichi to start making an epic victory speech or the member of the Organization to start chanting, typical Hollywood style, but everything remained silent. Aiko wasn't even sure what she was supposed to do, just hold the gem as the moon was rising? Seemed simple enough. The clouds were clearing, the rain slowly petering away. Midnight drew near. The dot of midnight, the clouds would clear and she would live forever. But Aiko didn't want that. Nor did she want them to live forever.

"Hold it high above your head." Toichi whispered in her ear. Aiko did as she was told. The countdown begun.

_10_

Conan and Ai scaled the metal staircases atop the roof.

_9_

Aiko gulped.

_8_

She didn't want this.

_7_

To let these shadows become immortal

_6_

No-one was left.

_5_

What was the point in staying on.

_4_

Ai and Conan drew closer

_3_

Aiko closed her eyes

_2_

Took a deep breath.

_1_

This is it.

_Midnight._

Aiko bit her lip, the moon was visible. The light hurling itself down onto the tower like a floodlight. She apologised one last time, before lowering her arms, tucking the Pandora under her arm and bolting for the edge at the speed of light

"STOP HER!" It was to late, Aiko jumped, vaulting the edge. Just as she twisted into freefall, she saw him and saw Ai dash out onto the deck.

"AIKO!" He screamed. It was already too late. She was plummeting to her doom.

_Conan...?_


	45. Reunited and redeemed

Aiko found it funny she should be remembering a particularly random moment from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy documenting the thoughts of a very surprised whale and a bowl of petunias as they fell to the ground. She couldn't help but feel like one of those two. So many thoughts running through her head at once, time seemed to cease just to allow each one to pass before she hit the ground. One particular memory which seemed almost completely irrelevant to this moment was one from when her parents were still alive, when her and Conan were very little and spent their days climbing trees and double daring eachother to do things. Days when they'd probably kissed a million times but it didn't matter to either of them cause hey, they were just kids. One memory that stood above the rest was when Aiko had somehow managed to manouver her way to the highest shelf in the pantry and grab an entire jar of umeboshi plums, which are of course, notoriously sour. She had forced Conan into a contest to see who could eat the most. She won, but the two were sick for about a week afterwards. Why that memory of all? And on the subject of Conan, had she really seen him running towards her as she dived or was that just a hallucination incited by her fear of death?

Conan ran forwards, straight towards the edge, breezing past every member of the Black Organization like they were nothing but part of the scenery.

"CONAN, DON'T--!" Ai screamed. To late. He was already falling. Ai slapped a hand on her forehead. "Shit, does that boy never THINK!" She dashed to the edge, abandoning Akai on the deck and completely missing Gin and his very murderous smile in her direction.

"And just what do you think you are doing, Shiho...?" She felt a hand grab her wrist and twist it, turning her quickly.

"To...ichi..."

"Well, Isn't this a pleasant surprise and my have you grown to be beautiful, little Shiho...I haven't seen you since you were just a toddler..."

"Toichi." He turned, to see Gin standing, his hands in his pockets. "May I take care of her?"

"AIKO!"

She gasped. Was she just hearing Conan's voice in her head? She opened her eyes. And there he was diving towards her.

"CONAN!" Aiko cried out, flipping into a postion that gave her a little more air resistance, trying to slow down her fall. Conan did the exact opposite, rocketing towards her. Aiko reached out, her hand meeting Conan's as he tugged her into a free-falling embrace. He was alive. Right here with her, holding her in his arms. Aiko cried out, when she saw the Pandora ascending as it sliping from her grasp, along with several tears. Glowing red tears. Conan stared at Aiko and the strange deep pink red colour tears that were streaming down...or rather up in this case...her face, clashing with the Pandora as they rose. A burst of light suddenly exploded from the gem, blinding Aiko and Conan completely. The Organization members shielded their eyes.

"Mum! Mum! You've got to see this!" the young Ayano bounced up and down on the balcony of the Parisian hotel. While the girl was 13, she had the mannerisms of a 7 year old. Kazuha lumbered to the window, instinctively placing a hand on her stomach where the baby continued to grow. "Look at that bright light!" Kazuha gasped in awe at the white light that bathed the horizon.

Aiko felt herself being thrown back up into the air with the impact as her and Conan came crashing to the ground. Actually, given the circumstances, It seemed the ground had made way for them, a giant crater pounding itself into the earth, leaving Aiko and Conan suspended in mid-air as the light still continued to blind the world. Tree's were uprooted, parked cars overturned, the support holds of the Totou tower suddenly began to buckle, causing the entire structure to tremble, along with the Organization members that occupied it. As the light died down ever so slowly, Aiko and Conan were lowered gently into the crater by a mysterious force, Setting them lightly on the ground. Aiko opened her eyes slowly. The Pandora was in her hands, still glowing away happily. And Conan's arms were still wrapped around her. The whole area was basked in a strange green-grey-white-ambience, what looked like ash seemed to be settling around them.

"Co..nan...?" Aiko asked cautiously. She was afraid she may be dead and this was all some wonderful fantasy. If so, wow. That was fairly painless. He stared at her, placing he hands either side of her face, feeling all her features as if to assure that she was real.

"Aiko..." Suddenly, she leaped up, throwing herself into Conan's arms.

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!" She cried, tears flooding uncontrollably. Conan held her tight, as if he never intended to let go.

"I thought you were too..." He whispered, running a hand through her hair.

"God, I'm so sorry!" Aiko wept into his shoulder. "I am so so sorry! For being such an idi--" Without another word, Conan pulled backwards slightly, allowing him to kiss Aiko tenderly.

"I don't care, I'm just so glad you're still here..." He was half laughing, half crying as he rested his forehead against hers. "Thank god..."

"How did...we even survive the fall...?" Aiko stared at the gem, still buzzing away on her lap.

"GOOD LORD, Are you two okay down there!?" Aiko knew that tone when she heard it. A certain rather bedraggled looking blonde was staring over the edge of the crater Aiko and Conan weren't quite aware they were sitting in the middle of. Aiko stared around her in shock. Shiori climbed, slipping down the banks and into the center of the gaping hole, where the couple sat, looking even more flabbergasted than them, being a witness to the impact rather than the creator of it, she had a little better comprehension of the situation.

"What the...!? I mean, the....Why?! How!?" This phenomenon had the detective completely at loss for words. Aiko picked up the Pandora, rotating it in her hands. It's glow was finally dying down. Suddenly, a large metallic clank sounded throughout the city and a screech. Aiko looked up. The Totou tower was wobbling. Quite severely.

"Let's go!" Conan grabbed her wrist, scrabbling up the banks of the crater, followed closely by Shiori, the trio narrowly avoiding a large chunk of metal which impaled the ground centimeters away from where they had previously been sat. Aiko screamed over the thunderous growing sound of almost every metal bar in the Totou tower slowly beginning to buckle and crease, moving towards breaking point. Ayumi craned her neck out of the car window. Yuma had somehow amazingly managed to stay asleep the whole time, despite the fact that the noise would probably be audible to the rest of his family in Paris.

The Organization members dived to the ground, the tower swaying like a tree in the wind, slowly backwards and forwards as debris began to fall, the antenna that topped the structure crashing down and taking a rather large portion off the edge of the building. Chianti screamed as she was tipped towards the edge, grasping at the surface in an attempt to stay upright, Korn following behind her. The whole surface jolted, placing it almost on a completely vertical slant. Toichi, Akai and Vermouth had managed to climb onto a staircase, giving them a firm lodging, while Chianti and Korn were sliding rapidly towards their doom. Gin had hold of a fuse box alongside Vodka, with an arm secured firmly around Ai's waist. She stared up at him in confusion.

"A-ANIKI! I'M SLIPPING!" Vodka screamed, kicking his legs in a frenzy. Gin simply smiled at his partner, almost somewhat apologetically. "ANIKI!" Gin still continued to do nothing while Vodka's pudgy fingers began to slip one by one from where the held on. Ai heard Chianti and Korn's screams as the abyss claimed them. Vodka's followed not to long afterwards as his hand finally gave in, sending him plunging to his death. Gin closed his eyes for a second and breathed before looking down at Ai.

"If I swing you up, grab on."

"What?!"

"Grab on." Before she had any time to question the man, he hoisted Ai upwards with all the strength he could muster, allowing her to get a firm grasp on the edge of the fuse box and climb into some safety. He followed shortly afterwards. Ai stared at the man before her in complete disbelief. He had just watched his best friend...Or as close as you got to a best friend when you were Gin...fall to his death and he hadn't even tried to save him, yet here he was, rescuing a woman who he had stated many a time he wanted dead.

"Why...?" Before Ai had a chance to finish the sentence, Gin lunged, placing a hand lovingly on her cheek and kissing her tenderly. It barely lasted long enough for Ai to either push him away or kiss him back. Ai suddenly saw something in his eyes, something of the boy she had once known, the boy who had blushed and looked all confused when she'd told him he looked handsome in middle school uniform, the boy who'd held her when she was crying, the boy who once helped her with her homework even though he barely knew her. But she assumed that boy was dead, replaced by this hollow shell who couldn't feel and only knew how to kill. How did she know this wasn't a trick and he was going to pull the gun on her any minute? Toichi and Vermouth observed the situation from above. Vermouth smiled in amusement while Toichi rolled his eyes.

"Ugh, I overestimated him. I was sure he was completely heartless." The structure buckled, more and more of it decaying. It was at that point, the stump of the antenna where the stairs, Vermouth, Akai and Toichi sat cracked completely sliding down and carrying the three Organization members with it. Gin leaned forwards and pulled Ai into an embrace.

"I'm sorry, Shiho."

That was the first time since she had acquired her codename that he had called her Shiho. Along with the rest of the Totou tower, the fusebox went tumbling to the ground.

* * *

_Okay I suppose Gin was a little OOC there, but oh well. A little OOC never hurt anyone XD_


	46. Trying to end

_It's nearing an end folks! ^^ Sorry if this chapter is a little bit...I dunno...Rushed._

* * *

It would be idiotic to assume something as large as the collapse of the Totou tower had gone unnoticed by the residents of Beika. Especially those living within the area and within crushable distance. This collapse assured widespread destruction. A news chopper had arrived and was circling the area.

_Though the cause is currently unknown, the Totou tower seems to be collapsing! Witness reports a giant white burst of light but no signs of an explosion before the tower began to sway and eventually crumble..._

Aiko and Conan were still running, despite the fact they were a considerable distance from the tower. Several cars in the area had already been crushed and overturned simply from the impact of Aiko, Conan and the Pandora hitting the ground. Why Ayumi and Genta had remained in the car the entire time was a mystery.  
"AYUMI! GENTA! GET OUT QUICK!" Conan screamed at the two police officers while he ran, the debris raining around them. Ayumi and Genta both cried out as they threw themselves from the car in time to avoid the large chunk of metal that crushed it to seemingly a pancake like state.

"WAIT!" Shiori cried, skidding to a halt and turning back towards the wreckage. "YUMA'S STILL IN THERE!" She ran frantically towards the car, taking hold of the bar and pushing in vain, as if she actually had any hope of moving it. Conan ran to the girl, taking her hand in an attempt to pull her away from the wreck.  
"Shiori, It's too late! We have to go!"

"NO! YUMA!" She cried throwing herself against the car, earning herself several scratches on her legs as the protruding scrap metal stuck into her. She cried out in pain. Aiko could barely believe her eyes. Shiori Hakuba, for the first time, was completely breaking her traditional British reserved manner, and screamed her head off. And for Yuma? The boy she had written off as gutter life upon their first meeting and hadn't backed down since. Eventually, Conan managed to pry Shiori away, now reduced to a screaming wreck, and continued to run. Not only was there the actual pieces of the tower than needed to be worried about, but the rubble of the apartment blocks it was crushing in its wake. Panicked civilians were streaming from the crumbling buildings, the streets almost like a riot was taking place. There was no room for ambulances to show up. Stopping moving meant getting crushed. Aiko suddenly found herself rendered incapable of running on her own feet anymore as Conan, in his very irrational-during-any-situation-where-she-might-be-in-danger manner, had scooped her off the ground swiftly and into his arms.

"Please, Don't look." He pleaded.

"Why?"

"There are people dying all around us." Aiko could only see the Pandora clasped against her chest. She clenched her eyes shut.

Ai let out a scream of agonising pain. She was trapped. Trapped from all angles. Absolutely nothing would move. How she'd even survived the fall was a miracle but now she was completely buried. She remembered clinging to the fusebox for dear life, perhaps it had taken most of the blow for her. She felt something pounding lightly against her chest. Groaning, she attempted to shift herself a little. She only managed to move a foot. Ai opened her eyes. It was dark. Completely pitch black. Opening your eyes to the dark is a strange sensation, like opening your eyes only to find that you suddenly seem to have sprouted another pair of eyelids which you have yet to learn how to open. Ai grunted. Something was lying above her. Something warm. She heard a soft moan. A hand in hers. Fingers intertwined. She could feel the locks of hair at her neckline.

"Gi..gin...!"

"I'm...really...truly...sorry..." He wheezed. Was he delirious?

"If you're sorry, why did you try to...?" Gin didn't even reply. "You shot me. That time...Why...?"

"I was planning...to pull the...trigger on myself afterwards..."

"Gin..." Ai blinked back a tear. She wasn't going to let him get the better of her.

"I never told...you...this before...but...I..l...o...yo...I...alw..a...did..." Gin let out a cough which shuddered throughout Ai's body. Suddenly, the faint pounding against her chest began to peter out. _Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump....Thump....Thump....Thump....Thump. _Then it stopped completely. She couldn't feel his breath against her ear anymore. Ai let out a scream in emotional and psychical pain, tears streaming down her cheeks. She was going to die here with him. Her screams of pain eventually morphed into screams for help. Something which probably wasn't going to come along for days.

Akai pressed his palms against the rubble above him, giving it no more than a light push to send it flying out of his way. He had managed to soften the blow completely via the use of magic. Needless to say, both him, Toichi and Vermouth were slightly scratched, but the magic barrier had proved strong enough to leave them all completely free of lasting injuries. Akai hoisted himself through the hole he had created, climbing down the debris pile and to the ground. Toichi followed shortly after. Rather than opting to thank Akai for saving his life, he simply grabbed the boy by the collar, delivering a hard fist to his face. Akai let out a small cry of pain.

"YOU IMBECILE!"

Akai glared at the man, knowing he was powerless to do anything against him. Toichi gritted his teeth, shaking Akai slightly.

"Why didn't you kill them?" Akai remained silent. That only earned him another blow to the face. "WELL?!"

"My sister..."

"WHAT?!"

"I couldn't kill my sister!" Akai yelled. "I warned her mentally but...I dunno, I guess she tipped them off! I sorta knew it would happen, So I tried to take out Conan on the stairs but some woman jumped me with a gun before I could, What do you want?!"

"You were a complete waste of time." Toichi grunted, allowing Akai to fall down onto the pile of rubble at his feet. "Vermouth, give me your gun, I'll do this myself." He didn't care about Aiko anymore, write her off as a lost cause. He wanted the Pandora.

Conan skidded to a halt, quickly setting Aiko down. His father was there, storming towards him at the speed of light. Harshly, he took his sons wrist and wrenched hard, tugging the boy towards Ran's parked car, where she was sat in the drivers seat, frantically pounding the horn. Aiko followed, pushing the very distressed Shiori along in front of her. Without aid, the girl seemed unable to move at all. The trio quickly climbed into the back seat of the car which sped off almost instantly.

"Do you have any idea how much trouble you are in young man?" Ran yelled over her shoulder at Conan. "You stole your father's credit card and flew over here alone!"

"Jesus mum, I think there are slightly more pressing matters at hand, Don't you?!" Conan screamed. "In case you haven't noticed, THE TOTOU TOWER IS FUCKING COLLAPSING!" Aiko was too shaken to be shocked at hearing Conan swear for the the first time in the entire 17 years they'd known eachother.

"Language!"

"Ran, Just shut up for a minute!" Shinichi cried. "The kid has a point!" He rotated in the passenger seat. "Right, now one of you tell me what in god's name is going o--" His sentence came to a grinding halt when he noticed the Pandora gem in Aiko's lap. "I...Is that...?" Aiko nodded hastily.

"You actually found it. We need to destroy that thing. Now."

"How do we know it isn't going to cause even more damage!?" Aiko cried. Shinichi paused for a moment.

"The docks."

"Huh...?"

"Take it to the docks, There's nothing around there but scrap metal and the Beika river." Aiko nodded, desperate for freedom from this madness once and for all. Shiori let out a sob, her head buried in her hands. Aiko leaned, placing a hand on her shoulder. She felt tears fathoming at the corners of her own eyes. Conan didn't look incredibly happy either.

"He's dead...Yuma's dead..." Shiori sniffed. "...I feel awful...I was so..." She let out another sob. "...Horrible to him..."

"Who's dead?" The entire car fell silent. Shiori turned to find herself face to face with the supposedly dead Yuma looking like he'd just got out of bed. All eyes, except Ran and Shinichi's were on Yuma, sat in the boot of the car with the worlds worst bed head and bags under his eyes. The staring continued. Yuma blinked. "What...?" Shiori bit her bottom lip.

"CRETIN!" She drew back a hand, striking Yuma hard across the face. He sat there in shock for a moment before straightening himself, a hand clutched to his cheek. Shiori turned, manically attempting to clear the tears from her eyes. Yuma, being the dense idiot that he was, simply sat in the boot trying to work out why Shiori had slapped him and why she had seemed so upset and who exactly was dead anyway? After hearing quite a lot of the noise, he had climbed out of the car without Ayumi and Genta's knowledge, and upon noticing the tower was collapsing, had done what any sane person would do and started running for his life. Shinichi who had just arrived at the scene, picked Yuma up. Yuma, although most people would've thought that this was not humanly possible, had fallen asleep again in the boot while Totou tower was collapsing only to awaken now and find Shiori a weeping wreck over his apparent death. The rest of the journey continued in silence as the panic slowly petered out into the quieter areas of town. It seemed a lot of people had flocked to the area of the collapse now the the tower had fallen completely to witness the damage leaving the rest of Beika relatively empty. They were almost the only car on the road. Almost.


	47. Lay down to rest

The docks were completely abandoned and shrouded by a cloak of pitch black, making driving a little risky as it was so hard to see, even with headlights. The tires hissed and crackled against the granite as the car slowly came to a halt and all over it's passengers unloaded to witness this moment. How they were actually planning to destroy this entity known as the Pandora was a little sketchy at the present time, but somehow it needed to go. Way to much bloodshed had been incited by this gem the size of Aiko's palm. The water was calm that night. Looking into water at night is like looking into oil. Strange and thick and black.

Shinichi extended a palm to Aiko.

"Give that to me." Aiko didn't need telling twice.

"So...do we throw it into the water?" Ran asked tentatively. Shinichi shook his head.

"No, It could be found again, I highly doubt that it will just decay in the elements."

"A gun...Maybe...?" Aiko's sentence petered out when she realised that no-one had a gun...probably...But then again she wasn't entirely sure how Shinichi's mind worked. No-one was, not even Ran. Aiko was incredibly shocked, almost horrified to see the holster beneath Shinchi's arm as the wind lifted the corner of his coat.

"Yeah." Shinichi closed his eyes. "Damn, I wish I were a better marksman. It would be safest to throw it over the water and shoot it in mid air but..." He paused and turned to Aiko. "Your father would be good at something like that." Aiko felt a slight lump attempt to crawl into her throat when she noticed how truly sad Shinichi looked, but swallowed it quickly. "Aiko, how are you with a gun? Do you think you could do it?" Aiko nodded.

"I can try."

"I'll throw it."

"Right." Shinichi drew the gun slowly, handing it to Aiko who took it cautiously. Shinichi raised the Pandora above his head. The full moon luckily was now shrouded by dark clouds.

"Ready...?"

"Okay..." Suddenly, Aiko heard gunfire. Shinichi let out a cry, the Pandora falling from his hand and rolling across the docks. The entire group turned frantically in an attempt to locate the shooter. Two more shots. Shinichi cried out again, one bullet piercing his shoulder, the other somewhere near his hip, sending him to his knee's.

"Shinichi!" Ran cried out, quickly rushing to her husbands aid. Two more shots. No-one was hit this time, but the bullets landed incredibly close to Conan and Aiko's feet. A silhouette slowly came into light, emerging from the shadows. The little moonlight that slithered through the clouds caught the gun in the figures hand.

"I highly doubt you'd fire that thing at me Aiko." She recognised the voice immediately.

"Toichi..." Slowly, his features became visible as he advanced with the gun in his hand. He grinned.

"The Black Organization is gone now. Gin, Vodka, Chianti, Korn and Sherry are all dead. Vermouth left of her own accord. It's just me and you, Aiko."

"No, Just you."

"Fine then, suit yourself. Anyway, If any of you do so much as move a muscle, I put a bullet through all of your heads one by one. Fair." He approached the Pandora slowly. He reached to pick it up. Aiko gulped, staring at the gun she was still clutching in her hands. She knew that she could put an end to everything if she just shot him. But why was some part of her telling her that regardless of how miserable he had made her life, he was still her grandfather? That may have been the case, but she had never known him. Just because they were related didn't mean that she should feel sad for him. He had the Pandora in his hands now. Aiko breathed slowly and raised the gun. She fired twice. The first pinned Toichi straight in the forehead, the next hit the pandora. A bloodcurdling scream sounded as the shards of the Pandora flew apart, a strange red liquid evaporating into the air. Suddenly, once again the entire area was bathed in white light. Everything disappeared. Aiko suddenly found herself floating in nothingness. And two familiar faces were stood before her. She felt tears streaming down her cheeks.

_Even now so many months after the event, Beika is still feeling the sting days after the collapse of the Totou tower, as mourners continue to gather at the site to leave flowers for the many killed in the accident. Still nobody in sure what exactly caused the collapse, but many an eyewitness claim that suddenly everything went white and the tower then began to Amazingly, one survivor was dug out of the wreckage, in surprisingly good health. We recently managed to interview the survivor Ai Haibara who emerged with only one major external injury, a broken leg. She attributed her survival to her lover Jin Kurosawa, who she claims died __protecting her, shielding her from all of the debris. She refused to comment on the collapse any further._

Aiko sighed. She was back to what she always used to do. Rolling around on the floor with her Doraemon pillow clasped to her chest. She was happy to just be Aiko Kuroba again. While being Kaito Kid had certainly been the biggest rush of her life, she had realised there was a lot more to bearing the crown that she had first realised. Crowds of people had screamed for her, she had danced with the police like puppets and been bathed with adoration, but there was a certain unshakable stigma which came with donning the white tuxedo. Kaito Kid wasn't searching for the limelight or the publics love or just pretty jewels (Well, that was nice, but it wasn't the sole purpose of being Kaito Kid) but rather to put an unspoken evil to sleep. Which Aiko had done. What her father had failed to do. Well know she was sure that he could rest with a smile on his face, she was content for life. Shooting her own grandfather was traumatic, obviously. She kept telling herself that it was all for the best, but some part of her still ached with guilt. She tried her hardest to put this out of her mind. When the light had finally cleared following her destroying of Toichi and the Pandora, Shinichi had been carted to hospital. After receiving treatment, Aiko had visited his bedside alone to explain. She had been shocked when Shinichi had simply taken her hand, smiled and said that he'd had a feeling deep down about her being Kaito Kid all along. He was a friend first and a detective second. That's why he'd never locked Kaito away, despite everything he had gone through to attempt to do so in the past. Aiko and Conan had been the first to place flowers at the wreckage of the Totou tower. Aiko admittedly slightly missed the rush of being a wanted criminal, but what was the point now? It was all over.

"Aiko!" She heard a call from downstairs. "Conan is here to see you." Her smile grew wider as her childhood friend turned lover appeared at her bedroom door.

"Hey there." He grinned at Aiko, kneeling down beside her. Aiko crawled to her knee's, meeting Conan's lips with her own. It felt so good to finally be able just to kiss him like she'd always wanted. Now that they had reached this stage, she wondered why they'd both held back for so long in the past? It hadn't ruined their friendship in the least, if anything it had made it stronger. He smiled warmly, stroking Aiko's cheek with his thumb.

"What brings you here then?" Aiko asked.

"Just wanted to see you."

"Aww, How sweet. Now, What ELSE brings you here?"

"Okay, you got me. I forgot to tell you that Kazuha's baby was born last night, A week early but everything was fine." Aiko gasped.

"Wow! Was it a boy or a girl?"

"A boy." Aiko giggled, remembering her talk with Yuma at Champs Elysess about how he desperately hoped for a boy. "They named him Taiki, meaning great radiance or shine. Kazuha said that when she was in Paris, she saw a really bright light from her balcony..." Aiko puzzled for a minute.

"Could it...?"

"Nah, I doubt it was so bright that it was visible to the French." That was just what Aiko and Conan assumed anyway. "Anyway, Bottom line is that they are having a party. Obviously, Yuma invited us both." Aiko laughed.

"That's wonderful!" She paused for a second. "Y'know...When I destroyed the Pandora...And there was nothing but blank...I could've sworn I saw my parents. And they smiled at me...." Aiko suddenly seemed a little distant. Conan grinned, flicking her forehead.

"I guess they were proud of you for finally letting them rest in peace."

"Yeah, I guess." There was a short silence.

"I love you."

Aiko blinked. "Wow, that was pretty random of ya' there Conan, mah boy." He rolled his eyes.

"Just letting you know." He leaned and kissed her.

* * *

_Lulz, Do your teeth hurt yet? TEH FLUFF, IT BURNS! So this is the end right? WRONG! There is one little epilogue, Sit back down XD I ain't done yet._


	48. Epilogue

_"CONGRATULATIONS!"_

With several colourful bursts of confetti, several doves swooped down, landing on the shoulders of a very surprised Kazuha, who was clutching the new born baby boy to her chest. All eyes turned to Aiko, the obvious summoner of the doves. She grinned. Everybody burst out laughing.

"Just warming them up for you." She patted Heiji awkwardly on the shoulder before shuffling into the background and leaving him to make his tear-jerking heart warming or whatever speech. She found Conan at the back of the room, a glass of lemonade in hand.

"Bigger turn out than expected, hey?" Aiko grinned at Conan, joining him against the wall. "Come to think of it, have you seen Shiori and Yuma anywhere?"

"Umm..." Conan thought for a minute. "No, I haven't now that you mention it." The two reduced their voices to whispers as not to interrupt Heiji's emotional speech. It was the first of the night but wouldn't be the last obviously.

"Hey, whadda you say we blow this joint and go find the other two?" Aiko grinned mischievously.

"Yeah, Why not. I'm sure Heiji won't kill us for skipping his speech." Quietly, the two slid through the traditional sliding paper doors and out into the large garden. Shinichi smiled at catching a glimpse of them leaving over his shoulder. Aiko and Conan ran out onto the grass together, hand in hand, laughing as they dashed through the Japanese style gardens, complete with sakura tree, a koi pond and several other water features. Aiko skidded to a halt by the pond, outstretching an arm to stop Conan from going headfirst into the water.

"Look at that." Quickly, Aiko ushered her boyfriend behind the bamboo reeds. Peering through the beige coloured bars and leaves, Aiko saw Yuma and Shiori, stood at the small arched bridge over the pond, leaned against the railings ,side by side.

"Can you hear what they are saying...?"

"Nope." The pair watched. Shiori looked somewhat upset, Yuma looked confused. Then Shiori looked angry, then it appeared an argument started.

"Should we go over there?"

"No, I wanna see how this goes." Aiko grinned. The argument continued, Shiori stomped her foot and turned her back on Yuma. There was stillness for a moment. Yuma approached Shiori slowly, placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face him. Aiko let out a squeak.

"Are they gonna kiss or is she gonna slap him?" Aiko bobbed up and down with excitement.

"500 yen says she slaps him." Conan grinned. He hadn't mentioned to Aiko what had happened between him and Shiori once in Paris. Somehow he had always known that her feelings or lack thereof for him were somewhat forced. There was always a little place in her heart where Yuma rested.

"Alright, Your on." It turned out that Aiko had won the bet. Yuma caressed Shiori's head between his hands, bringing her towards him into a kiss. And she didn't push him away. Aiko grinned proudly at Conan, making a "gimme gimme" gesture with her hand. Conan sighed and dug into his pocket.

"Here's 100, I'll give you the rest later, I don't have my wallet."

"Hey! Having fun making out over there?" Aiko leaped from behind the bamboo, despite Conan's best attempts to stop her. Shiori and Yuma were almost immediately on completely opposite sides of the garden from one another with the speed they broke the kiss. Aiko ran up onto the bridge, followed by Conan who trying to look like he hadn't been spying on them with her. Shiori crossed her arms, staring with a red face into the misty water below the bridge.

"We were just talking." She said flatly.

"Suuure you were, Bookmark. C'mon, Your little affair can wait, We're missing cake! Cake, I tell ya! And this is baby party cake, seriously. It doesn't get much better than that." Taking her friend by the arm, she smiled sweetly, dragging the reluctant British detective from the bridge. Aiko felt pride that she had actually managed to get a giggle out of Shiori, although short lived and she had seemingly gone out of her way to suppress it. Conan turned to Yuma with a friendly grin, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Feels good doesn't it...? Letting her know how you feel..." Yuma laughed awkwardly.

"Yeah, kinda..."

"I would know, I held it in for 17 years."

"Anyway..." Yuma stuck his hands in his pockets. "Let's go grab some of that baby party cake that Aiko mentioned." The two boy's dashed across the grass after the magician and blonde detective. As the four slid in through the door quietly, it seemed that Heiji's speech was finally coming to a close. Aiko managed to ninja four glasses of champagne from the table before anyone noticed that none of them were holding glasses.

"Anyway, To Kazuha and to the newborn Taiki. Cheers." Everyone raised their glasses.

"_CHEERS!_" Aiko downed her champagne like a shot glass. Conan shook his head in a way that read he knew she would do that. Breaking away from her group of friends, Aiko approached Kazuha sat at the head of the table, the baby in her arms being cooed over by Ran and Sonoko. Aiko blinked upon seeing Akako stood rather solemnly staring at the baby, as if she was happy but trying her hardest to hide it with a scornful glare. Aiko wondered whether Akai was here or not. Was he even still alive? She hadn't seen Akako at the Totou memorial, but maybe that just wasn't her style. Kazuha smiled at Aiko as she drew closer. The two weren't really incredibly well acquainted but each knew who the other was vaguely. Kazuha held the baby out towards Aiko.

"Do you want to hold him?"

"Re-really? Can I?" Kazuha nodded. Aiko reached and took the little bundle from Kazuha cautiously, cradling it in her arms. She stared in awe at the dear little creature, wriggling slightly as it adjusted to the world around it. Aiko laughed quietly, holding out a finger which the baby took with it's small, soft, underdeveloped hands, in the way that babies do, and just held on to it for no particular reason. Aiko turned to the mother, her facial expression cycling the spectrum, unsure which one to rest on.

"He looks like you..." She took another long look at the baby, with it's emerald green eyes and few smoky little wisps of sepia hair. Conan was suddenly stood behind her, a hand resting gently on her shoulder.

"Could you...see this being us one day?" He whispered. Aiko nodded slowly. All of a sudden she felt slightly tearful. Before the two realised what was happening, Ran was staring at her camera with delight, proud of her snap shot.

"This should look great in the album." She chirped cheerfully.

"Mum!" Conan groaned with embarrassment. Aiko smiled nervously, handing the baby back to Kazuha.

"You two really did look like a married couple just then." She commented. Suddenly snapping out of the little warm moment revolving around the group, Aiko slapped on her largest most playful childish grin which suddenly seemed to reduce her from a 17 year old to a 10 year old in appearance. That was a quality of hers. How old she looked seemed to depend completely on her expression.

"Tag, You're it!" She cried, slapping Conan on the shoulder and bolting for the garden at lightning speed, very loudly announcing her spontaneous game of tag to Yuma and Shiori as she flung the paper door open. Surprisingly, they both followed her outside, laughing as they did so.

"Hey! Aiko, wait up!" Conan followed.

"CONAN'S IT EVERYONE! OPEN SEASON TAG GAME, FREE FOR ALL!" Aiko's muffled voice could be heard from the bottom of the garden. It was a heart warming sight, the four teenagers, even one renowned for her reserved manner, letting go and playing a childish game of tag on the sprawling lawns of the Hattori residence's garden. Aiko was sure that she'd never seen Shiori laugh in her life. Well now was the first time, they were all really enjoying themselves together. Aiko stopped for a second, noticing a familiar figure standing on the porch, staring blankly at her. Breaking away from the game briefly, she ran up to greet him.

"Akai...Hello..." Obviously the air was a little awkward.

"Hello Aiko." There was a silence. Akai cleared his throat. "Listen, I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am...About what I did to you. I was completely blind. They played me for a complete fool. I'm not sure I should even be asking for forgiveness at this point." Aiko shook her head.

"No, It's okay...Honestly...I never believed you were bad, really. I knew you were always on our side Akai."

"Well..." He scratched the back of his neck. "...I wouldn't go that far. Just...consider me a friend. If you'll have me." Akai checked that Conan was preoccupied and quickly leaned down, placing a light kiss on Aiko's cheek. She blushed. Although it quickly faded. Suddenly, she grabbed his arm, tugging him down from the porch and pushing him out onto the grass.

"NEW PLAYER HAS JOINED THE GAME!" Aiko shouted, before bolting off to avoid being tagged by Shiori. It was one of those moments when one had to think, "Screw it, you only live once." Akai swallowed his dignity and joined the game. It continued for hours, picking up Ayano as a player along the way. Once they all finally tired, the group threw themselves down onto the grass beneath the stars. Aiko interlocked her fingers with Conan's as they all lay there quietly pointing out constellations to one another. Little Kokoro, up later than she should be, toddled out onto the lawn, opted to sit on her older brothers stomach and joined the stargazing. In her mind, all the stars looked like a reflection of them all lying happily together.

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-+The End+-**

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_And there you have it. The Kuroba Family Secret comes to an end. I miss it already. Well, what did you think everyone? Like, dislike? Send me your constructive criticism. Did I leave any loose ends, plot holes? I need these things pointing out otherwise I never learn XD But be nice. Thankyou all of you that stuck with me till the end, you kept me going with all your reviews. This is officially the longest fic I have written so far ^^ Bye bye! Thanks for reading once again!  
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